Photos: How overfishing in Southeast Asia is an ecological and human crisis

""We were fighting over who had caught more fish, and then I saw my crewmate pushed overboard by the captain. The ship then started to drive away as my crewmate tried to swim towards us. And then I don't know what happened. The captain never reported the incident.""

"Approximately half of the world's global marine fish catch comes from the seas of Southeast Asia, and it comes at a calamitous cost. Behind the illicit seafood trade is an opaque world standing at the crossroads of intertwining issues."

"Those involved in the efforts of organizations like the international Freedom Fund and Thailand's Labour Protection Network say many workers are murdered at sea, abused and often brought into a cycle of debt bondage."

"The lawless nature of the seas has emboldened trackers to exploit desperate fishermen and impoverished casual laborers, contributing to the ongoing crisis in the fishing industry."

Southeast Asia's seas, rich in biodiversity, have seen a drastic decline in fish stocks, with estimates indicating 70-95% depletion since the 1950s. Industrial-scale and illegal fishing, coupled with legal overfishing, weak regulations, and high demand, exacerbate the crisis. Approximately half of the global marine fish catch originates from this region, significantly affecting U.S. seafood imports. The fishing industry is also marred by human rights abuses, including sea slavery, debt bondage, and violence against workers, amidst a backdrop of geopolitical tensions.

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