I will keep this brief. Today I came across an AP story about slave labor in the Thai fishing fleet. I urge you to read the entire article:
OVERFISHING DRIVING SLAVERY ON THAILAND'S SEAFOOD BOATS
Here are some sobering excerpts:
...overfishing and the use of illegal and undocumented trawlers have ravaged Thailand's marine ecosystems and depleted fish stocks. Boats are now catching about 85 percent less than what they brought in 50 years ago, making it "one of the most overfished regions on the planet"...
Since few Thais are willing to take the dangerous, low-level jobs that can take them far from home, a sophisticated network of brokers and agents has emerged, regularly recruiting laborers from impoverished neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia, often through trickery and kidnapping.
Men — and sometimes children as young as 13 — are sold onto boats where they typically work 18- to 20-hour days with little food and often only boiled sea water to drink, enduring beatings and sometimes even death at the hands in their captains. Most are paid little or nothing. They can be trapped at sea for months or years at a time; transshipment vessels are routinely used to pick up catches and deliver supplies.
Canned tuna is cheap and convenient. I usually keep a few cans in the pantry in case I want a quick and easy meal. Unfortunately, it is cheap for a reason.
From the NOAA fishwatch website:
More than half the canned tuna we import comes from Thailand, with smaller amounts from the Philippines, Vietnam, Ecuador, and other countries.
What can we do? Some brands are offering products from sustainable fisheries.
This article from 2013 points out that Bumble Bee has moved in that direction with some of its canned items:
North American seafood firm Bumble Bee has unveiled the full range of its new 'Wild Selections' canned seafood range. The range is being launched with the collaboration of the Marine Stewardship Council and WWF, and accordingly is MSC-certified and will benefit the wildlife NGO.
If the label on the tuna can does not specifically state that the fish was caught in US waters or from a sustainable source, there is a very good chance that someone working in miserable conditions helped catch it.
When I shop for seafood, I try to buy fresh, wild fish from sustainable sources. I will also buy farmed catfish from local sources.
This is a topic far from my comfort level as far as expertise goes, but it seemed too important to ignore. I welcome input from anyone who is more familiar with the subject.