HIDDEN HARVEST
Human Rights and Environmental Abuses in India’s Shrimp Industry
March 2024
For over a decade, the seafood aisles of U.S. supermarkets — as well as the tables and buffets of U.S. seafood restaurants—have been a silent stage for a global drama: the sourcing of farmed shrimp from overseas.
Behind the allure of affordable pricing lies the hidden reality that human rights and the environment have been denigrated in the production process.
This report is the culmination of three years of research and investigations into the Indian shrimp sector, examining evidence of forced labor, living and working conditions for shrimp supply chain workers, environmental impacts of the industry, and the failure of social auditing certification schemes that purport to to ensure that the shrimp sold with their imprimatur were ethically and sustainably produced.
The current system of farmed shrimp production is not sustainable – not for workers, the environment, or – ultimately – for retailers, wholesalers, or consumers. The Indian shrimp sector is rife with discrimination, dangerous working conditions, hazardous child labor, sexual harassment, debt bondage, threats and intimidation, toxic sewage, false and misleading certification schemes, and a general lack of oversight.
Rather than continue down a road littered with exploitation, discrimination, and forced labor, companies – and governments – have the opportunity and the duty to act now. There is no time to waste in treating workers with respect and addressing the substantial threats to the environment presented by the Indian shrimp sector.
