US Bans Seafood Imports From Chinese Fleet That Engages in ‘Modern Slavery’

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas prepares to testify before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, on May 26, 2021. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

U.S. Customs and Border Protection banned a Chinese fishing company from selling seafood products in the United States on May 28 over concerns that the firm was treating migrant workers like slaves.

The agency said it will immediately start seizing tuna, swordfish, and other seafood products from Dalian Ocean Fishing Co., Ltd., at all U.S. ports of entry, citing U.S. federal law, which prohibits shipments linked to slave or child labor. The ban also extends to products that contain seafood, such as canned tuna and pet food, according to a CBP official.