As the demand for fish continues to grow, the experiences of more than 1,000 trafficked men have highlighted the sinister side to what can end up on our plates.
It has been almost two years since a report by the Associated Press revealed deaths and slavery aboard fishing boats in Indonesian waters and sparked a mass rescue of men in Benjina and Ambon in the country's east.
The testimony of more than 1,100 of these fishermen, as well as more than 280 returned Indonesian fishers, has since been pieced together by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to form a detailed account of how those involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing on foreign vessels in Indonesia go about their business.
"When compared to trafficking in persons in other sectors, exploitation in the fishing industry is among the most severe," the report, released in Jakarta on Tuesday, concludes.
Recruited from a range of countries to work illegally, the men became enslaved.
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Almost 90 per cent of 249 victims reported they weren't paid, while 65 per cent said they worked 17 to 20 hour days.
"Minor mistakes, laziness, and insubordination were not only punished with beatings and whippings, but also in some cases victims were confined or chained."
Fishermen from Myanmar and Cambodia told of the murder of colleagues by captains when they were too weak or sick to work.
"The next of kin and other family members may never have been informed of the death," the IOM states.
National laws were breached, front companies established, different flags raised aboard vessels, and catch changed hands at sea until the fish entered the global supply chain where people were ignorant "of its provenance and the human toll".
Chief of Mission IOM Indonesia, Mark Getchell said the stories contained in the report were "symptomatic" of the insidious trade in people, not only in the Indonesian and Thai fishing industries, but globally.
Mr Getchell said he hoped the report highlighted to businesses and consumers the "criminal activity and exploitation potentially underpinning their profits or the fish on their plate".
The IOM has outlined a raft of recommendations for the Indonesian government, including that investigators be trained to spot the signs of human trafficking.
Indonesian Fishery Minister, Susi Pudjiastuti announced that fisheries businesses must now comply with a 'human rights audit' as part of the licensing process.
