Effective December 31, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at all U.S. ports of entry will detain tuna and other seafood harvested by the Lien Yi Hsing No. 12, a Taiwanese flagged and owned distant water fishing vessel.
CBP issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against Lien Yi Hsing No. 12 based on information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labor. The agency identified the following forced labor indicators through the course of its investigation: deception, withholding of wages, and debt bondage.
Federal statute 19 U.S.C. 1307 prohibits the importation of merchandise mined, manufactured, or produced, wholly or in part, by convict labor, forced labor, and/or indentured labor, including forced or indentured child labor. This WRO will require the detention at all U.S. ports of entry of tuna and any seafood harvested by the Lien Yi Hsing No. 12. CBP provides importers of detained shipments an opportunity to export their shipments or demonstrate that the merchandise was not produced with forced labor.
All WROs are publicly available and listed by country on CBP’s Forced Labor Withhold Release Orders and Findings page.