NEW YORK -- Global seafood processors are facing pressure to clean up their supply chains, after the U.S. Department of Labor added fish caught in Taiwanese waters to its list of goods produced with forced labor, throwing the island's large seafood industry into turmoil.
The designation could lead to U.S. import restrictions on Taiwan-caught seafood and significantly impact the future of the island's seafood industry. Taiwan exports more than $1.3 billion of seafood annually, but its fishing fleet has long been associated with abuse and nonpayment of migrant fishermen, mostly from Southeast Asia.
