Caught between a vicious profit hungry industry and blind EU Institutions he was always going to be a victim of forced labour. Photo by João Daniel Pe

Tuna Trouble: Activists Stage 'Dead Sailor' Protest at EU Parliament to Demand End to Slavery at Sea and Overfishing

EUROPEAN UNION
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

The protest, organized by Ocean Rebellion at the start of Ocean Week, highlighted the combined threats of labor exploitation and environmental destruction posed by industrial tuna giants like Thai Union, owner of Petit Navire and John West.

BRUSSELS - As EU Ocean Week began, activists from Ocean Rebellion staged a dramatic protest outside the EU Parliament in Place du Luxembourg to draw attention to what they call "inaction" on ocean policies and the human cost of industrial fishing.

The demonstration centered on a giant, ripped-open can of Petit Navire tuna that revealed a "dead sailor" inside. This powerful visual reinterpretation of the popular French song ‘Il Était un Petit Navire’ was designed to symbolize the dual threats of a "callous industrial fishing industry" that sacrifices both workers and marine biodiversity. The protest specifically targeted global tinned fish giant Thai Union, which owns major brands Petit Navire and John West.

Industrial fish heads arrive at the EU Parliament, greeted by an intersectional crossing. Gestures are easy, but all gestures need to be backed up by real action. Photo by João Daniel Pereira

Call for Action on Social and Environmental Standards

The protest coincided with a push for the European Parliament to adopt an ambitious resolution focused on social, economic, and environmental standards in the aquatic food sector.

Portuguese MEP Paulo Do Nascimento Cabral, the resolution’s proponent, emphasized its goals: it "Emphasises the crucial role of labour rights, the employment of women and young people, fair wages and a safe working environment" in fisheries, and "Stresses that innovation is crucial to develop sustainable fishing practices and gear."

Sebastian Everding, a German Member of the European Parliament (MEP), backed the sentiment, stating:

"Industrial tuna fishing symbolizes a system that prioritizes profit over life – both the lives of people on board and the life in the ocean. If we truly want sustainable seas, we must end exploitation in all its forms!"

MSC Certification Under Fire

A central focus of the protest was the alleged complicity of certification schemes. Ocean Rebellion and associated groups slammed the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for continuing to certify tuna as "sustainable" despite "significant cases of forced labour in MSC fisheries."

The groups argue that the MSC is misleading consumers by claiming its "main mission is environmental" and that its "ecolabel does not make claims about social conditions." Ocean Rebellion pointed out the hypocrisy, noting that a can of tuna certified as sustainable "MIGHT HAVE BEEN CAUGHT BY A CHILD SLAVE, OR ON A VESSEL WHO’S CAPTAIN WAS MURDERED!"

Academics and NGO leaders reinforced the call for accountability:

• Professor Olga Martin-Ortega of the Business, Human Rights and the Environment Research Group stated the EU has a "unique opportunity to live up to its international human rights and international commitments."

• David Hammond, Founder of Human Rights at Sea, stressed the importance of ensuring "existing law is enacted at state level and all applicable enforcement mechanisms are reinforced."

• Pauline Bricault, Campaign manager at BLOOM, noted that 42% of human rights violations in the global fishing industry occur on tuna fishing vessels, adding that supermarkets are failing to protect consumers from "destructiveness of the tuna industry" and contamination from mercury.

• Alex Hofford, Marine Wildlife Campaigner for Shark Guardian, highlighted the potential for consumers to be buying tuna that "not only could it have caused the death of thousands of sharks, but it might also have been caught by a slave."

Don’t buy tinned tuna, if you do you might be contributing to forced labour and you’ll be certainly contributing to the marine destruction. Photo by João Daniel Pereira

Activists Demand Reform of MSC and Supply Chains

Ocean Rebellion's demands are clear:

1. Strengthen the Resolution: Adopt crucial amendments to MEP Cabral’s resolution, specifically Amendments 98 and 99, which regret that the MSC has "lost credibility" and "is misleading in many cases."

2. Reform MSC Standards: The MSC must include social and labour rights in its Fisheries Standard and must strike off vessels caught abusing crew from its certified list.

3. Supermarket Accountability: Supermarket brands must stop selling tuna potentially caught by modern-day slaves and sign international initiatives like the Geneva Declaration on Human Rights at Sea.

As the Sea Dies we Die. Photo by João Daniel Pereira

Ocean Rebellion concluded with a final appeal to all European lawmakers, EU Council members, and the EU Commission to recognize and take action against human rights abuses and modern-day slavery in industrial tuna fisheries. Another Ocean is Possible.

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