USA: Indonesian fishers’ case against Bumble Bee Foods over forced labour in tuna supply chain allowed to proceed
“Landmark US ruling allows Indonesians to proceed with lawsuit against Bumble Bee for forced labor on fishing boats, Greenpeace comment”, 14 November 2025
The case of a group of Indonesian fishers who sued US tuna brand, alleging forced labor, will move forward, according to a judgment released by the Southern California federal district court on Wednesday (12/11). The case, which cites years of research from the Greenpeace global network, alleges years of forced labor while catching fish sold by the tuna brand Bumble Bee…
The four fishers filed suit against Bumble Bee in March 2025 under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA)… It is believed to be the first case of its kind against the seafood industry in the US, and one of only a few TVPRA supply chain cases to move past the motion to dismiss stage…
The court ruled that the fishers presented sufficient allegations of forced labor as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, noting that Bumble Bee did not contest the fishers were subject to forced labor. The court also found that Bumble Bee “likely had ‘notice about the prevalence’ of forced labor on the vessels from which it sourced tuna, ‘failed to take adequate steps to train staff in order to prevent its occurrence,’” had an “active role in obtaining albacore tuna from the vessels on which Plaintiffs were subject to forced labor,” and resold the tuna for profit…