"AP Investigation: Are slaves catching the fish you buy?" 25 March 2015

The Burmese slaves sat on the floor and stared through the rusty bars of their locked cage,...other workers loaded cargo ships with slave-caught seafood that clouds the supply networks of major supermarkets, restaurants and even pet stores in the United States...[I]n the Indonesian island village of Benjina...hundreds of trapped men represent...desperate links criss-crossing between companies and countries in the seafood industry...Your seafood may come from slaves.The men...were mostly from Myanmar...They were brought to Indonesia through Thailand and forced to fish...Tainted fish can wind up in the supply chains of some of America's major grocery stores, such as Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway; the nation's largest retailer, Wal-Mart; and the biggest food distributor, Sysco. It can find its way into the supply chains of some of the most popular brands of canned pet food, including Fancy Feast, Meow Mix and Iams...The tainted seafood mixes in with other fish at a number of sites in Thailand, including processing plants. U.S. Customs records show that several of those Thai factories ship to America...By this time, it is nearly impossible to tell where a specific fish caught by a slave ends up. 

The major corporations contacted would not speak on the record but issued statements that strongly condemned labor abuses. All said they were taking steps to prevent forced labor, such as working with human rights groups to hold subcontractors accountable. Several independent seafood distributors who did comment described the costly and exhaustive steps taken to ensure their supplies are clean. They said the discovery of slaves underscores how hard it is to monitor what goes on halfway around the world. Santa Monica Seafood, a large independent importer...has been a leader in improving international fisheries, and sends buyers around the world to inspect vendors. [refers to Silver Sea Reefer, Kingfisher, Mahachai Marine Foods, KF Foods, Stavis Seafoods, Thai Union Manufacturing, Thai Union Frozen Products]