Sealord
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 12 sources
New Zealand fishing company selling frozen fish and canned tuna.
In 2021, crew on one of Sealord's factory trawlers were exposed to asbestos without a proper risk assessment.
Also worth knowing
Sealord has only partly put this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, a hidden supply chain and forced or child labour. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years that it has only partly put right: unsafe conditions, last recorded in 2021.
Good requirements 0 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: unsafe conditions, last recorded in 2021
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: Traces its catch to the boat or farm and has crews' or farm workers' conditions checked independently
Red flags 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
Sealord names some of the countries it makes in: New Zealand and Vietnam. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| New Zealand | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| AustraliaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| EcuadorUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| NorwayUsual for the industry | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: fishing fleets and processing plants have some of the worst documented forced labour, including trafficked crews held at sea for years.
- Makes part of its range in its own factories
- Traces most of its fish and seafood to named fishing boats or farms
- It traces some of its catch or holds environmental labels such as MSC, ASC or BAP, but doesn't show both that its catch is traced to the boat or farm and that crews' or farm workers' conditions are checked independently.
Research notes Sealord catches most of its fish (hoki, hake, ling, southern blue whiting) with its own deep-water factory trawlers in New Zealand waters and processes it at sea and at its Nelson plant; its coated fish range moved to processor VDTG in Vietnam in 2026. Canned tuna comes from the Western Pacific through Taiwanese trader FCF; the cannery and vessels are not named. Some of its trawlers have long used Russian and Ukrainian crews, and seasonal plant workers are recruited from Vietnam and Samoa, but no independent crew checks are reported. Many of its NZ fisheries are MSC certified, without a share of the range.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Maritime NZ prosecuted Sealord over a 2022 crew death on its trawler Ocean Dawn; fined $80,000 in January 2026. View |
Confirmed issues 3
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Sealord was fined $80,000 in January 2026 after a crew member on its deep-water trawler Ocean Dawn died of an untreated illness in 2022, when the skipper ignored crew warnings and Sealord's medical procedures were not followed (Maritime NZ, 2026). Source · archived copyPut right The company has put this right for the people affected, so it no longer counts against the grade. | YesSealord paid $65,000 to the man's family before sentencing and was fined $80,000. |
| 2021 | Sealord pleaded guilty in 2023 to failing to protect crew on its factory trawler Will Watch from asbestos exposure after Maritime NZ found it had not assessed the risk; crew found suspected asbestos in 2021 (Maritime Executive, 2024). Source · archived copy | PartlySealord pleaded guilty, was fined and had the vessel repaired and cleared of asbestos by March 2023; no support for exposed crew has been reported. |
| 2020 | Link through a supplierGreenpeace East Asia's 2020 investigation found forced labour indicators (withheld documents, unpaid wages, excessive hours) on vessels linked to Taiwanese tuna trader FCF, which Sealord names as the only source of its skipjack tuna (SeafoodSource, 2020). Source · archived copy | Not knownSealord has said labour concerns relate to illegal vessels, not its supply; no action on the FCF findings has been reported. |
Sources and actions
Sources 12
Show all 12 sources
- Sentencing in case of death of crew member on Sealord vessel (Maritime NZ, 2026) · archived copy · Sealord fined $80,000 and paid $65,000 reparation over crew death on Ocean Dawn
- Sealord contemplates changing Nelson-based operations to seasonal (SeafoodSource, 2025) · search the archive · Six vessels fish in NZ waters, five deep-sea factory trawlers; Nelson wetfish and byproduct factories
- Sealord preparing to close fish factory in Nelson (SeafoodSource, 2025) · search the archive · Deep-sea fleet and canned tuna operations unaffected by coated factory closure
- Evidence persists of IUU, forced labor in Taiwanese fleet, including on FCF-linked vessels (SeafoodSource, 2020) · archived copy · Greenpeace East Asia 2020 found forced labour indicators on vessels linked to FCF
- Sealord cements position with Independent Fisheries purchase (1News, 2024) · search the archive · Sealord equally owned by Moana New Zealand and Nissui; acquisition adds deepwater factory vessels
- Sealord employing fishermen from Covid-19 hot spot Russia (1News, 2020) · search the archive · Two of Sealord's deep-water vessels crewed by Russians, others mainly NZ crew with some foreign crew
- Sealord and skipper fined over fatal medical neglect at sea (Newstalk ZB, 2026) · search the archive · Fisherman died on 21 June 2022 near the Chatham Islands; skipper dismissed crew concerns; Nelson District Court
- NZ fishing company fined for exposing crewmembers to asbestos (Maritime Executive, 2024) · archived copy · Sealord pleaded guilty over asbestos risk on factory trawler Will Watch; found 2021; fined December 2023
- Sealord Hoki Gluten Free Crumb 280g (Grocerize) · search the archive · Sealord hoki sold at Coles and Woolworths in Australia
Published by Sealord or its owner
- Sealord's Hoki season under new operational model (Sealord, 2026) · search the archive · Coated factory closed and processing moved to VDTG in Vietnam; Nelson wetfish factory seasonal; about 220 overseas workers from Vietnam and Samoa
- Sealord Tuna Products Sourced Sustainably and Ethically (Sealord) · search the archive · Tuna from the Western Pacific; skipjack sourced exclusively from Taiwanese company FCF; no vessel list
- Sustainability of NZ Fisheries Independently Verified (Sealord) · search the archive · NZ hoki, hake, ling and southern blue whiting fisheries MSC re-certified; no share of Sealord range given
Company details
- Owned by
- Owned 50:50 by Moana New Zealand and Nissui (Japan)
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Sealord ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/sealord, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
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