Thailand’s seafood industry employs more than 650,000 people with exports totalling $7.3 billion in 2011.9 This includes the seafood processing sector, aquaculture and marine fisheries. As a result of long hours, low and unpredictable pay, physically demanding work and long periods at sea, the Thai fishing industry is suffering an acute labour shortage, with a shortfall of labour for over 10,000 jobs in 2011.This labour shortage is fuelling human trafficking to supply cheap labour for work on Thai fishing boats. Multiple reports over the past five years have documented abuses of trafficked boat workers in Thailand, including bonded labour, excessive working hours, little or no pay, threats of violence, physical abuse and murder. In March 2013 EJF carried out an investigation into human trafficking on Thai fishing boats, including the case of 14 Myanmar men rescued from a port in the Southern city of Kantang. Two days later, another human trafficking victim was rescued from a fishing boat at sea and brought to shore to join the group at the police station. EJF interviewed six members of the group, all of whom had been trafficked and forced to work for up to 20 hours per day with little or no pay. The men were subject to bonded labour, forced detention, physical abuse and threats of violence on the boats and in port. All had been at sea for at least five months and spoke of beatings by senior crew. EJF’s evidence, including the ongoing Kantang case, raises serious questions about Thailand’s progress in combating and preventing human trafficking and makes the case for Thailand to remain on the Tier 2 Watchlist, until such time that a detailed action plan to combat trafficking and labour rights violations is developed and fully implemented by the Thai Government. EJF believes there is sufficient evidence of failure by the Thai Government to stop trafficking in humans to warrant serious consideration by US State Department of listing on Tier 3 of the TIP report.