Ghost Fleet
by Mary Nyiri

Shannon Service, Jeffrey Waldron, USA

Fishing boats off the coast of Thailand catch more than fish. They catch men who are then enslaved, sometimes for more than a decade. They captured to work in fishing fleets because there are not enough interested in leaving their homes for months at a time out at sea. Due to warming oceans and over-fishing, boats must sail further and further; so returning to shore for leave takes too much valuable time. These slaves work on smaller boats where they are often given drugs to keep them awake for days. They work hungry and under extreme duress, suffering beatings or injuries. Far out to sea the small catches are transferred onto super trawlers which then take the cumulative catches to shore. The slaves are never allowed to set foot on land.

One Thai woman, Patima Tungpuchayakul, determined to make a difference in the lives of others, founded an organization of activists who risk their lives on remote Indonesian islands to find these lost men, to help them to find justice and a way back to their homes. The GHOST FLEET takes you out on the high seas, to some remote villages and introduces you to some of those who have been found. Their stories must be told so that the world knows how modern slavery is used to feed the world’s appetite for seafood.