This is a sad story and, perhaps, an unexpected illustration of the evils of the trade in humans. 18 people have died caught in a tide where the were working picking cockles, a shellfish, in England. From the ever useful BBC:
The accident happened after more than 30 cocklers - thought to be Chinese who do not speak English - were caught by rising waters in the Hest Bank area. Lancashire Police said it was trying to find out if they were illegal immigrants or working for an organised gang, and appealed for information. A spokeswoman added that criminal charges were a possibility.
Not something eaten near the Atlantic shores of Maritime Canada, they are a bivalue something like our quahog, both forms of heavy shelled clam. Their harvesting is closely regulated making poaching attractive - using trafficked humans who don't speak the local language would make poaching that much easier.
Later: here is another post on the story from our respondent NRT much closer to the scene.
Comments
NRT - February 6, 2004 11:39 AM
The harvesting isn't closely regulated here in the UK* - that's part of the problem.
Morecambe Bay is a public fishery, which means that anyone who can identify him/herself to the local council (to dissuade benefits fraudsters and other illegal workers) will receive a permit to harvest. Of course, once issued, it's extremely difficult to regulate the use of permits, and there's little preventing the permit holder from bringing in unskilled, typically illegal, labour, as seems to have happened in this case.
There's no poaching involved; harvesting is free to all. The issue is that exploited people are being sent into a potentially lethal situation, to perform a job which requires safety equipment and knowledge of the environment.
*: not 'England'; that's just one state/province of the overall country.
Alan - February 6, 2004 12:14 PM
[Not to be snarky but just to confirm what I meant, I know England is part of the UK, but I was referencing the fact that both the events and specific regulation are located there. The Scots law on the topic appears to be separate: see, for example, the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Amendment (Scotland) Act 2000.]<p>That being said, thanks very much for jumping in with local knowledge. How many local councils would front on to the Bay? What an odd way of, as you say, "regulating". How is it given what appears the scarcity of supply that there are not tighter rules. Maybe there is local plenty, as you might see with bar clams near Rustico.
Ben - February 6, 2004 1:37 PM
Another ideal place for bar clam harvesting on PEI is in between Rice Point and St. Peter's Island at low tide. In an hour of digging you can easily fill a 10L ice cream bucket.
Alan - February 8, 2004 9:45 PM
More evidence is coming out of shellfish sweatshop tactics and trafficking in humans. The police sound like they are taking the 19 deaths as a tragedy and, what it is at best, a mass manslaughter:<blockquote class="smalltext">Throughout the investigation police have been keen to stress they are treating both the survivors and those who died as victims not criminals. "The scale of this inquiry is truly massive. It could take as to all parts of the globe," Det Supt Gradwell added. "The force is determined to find the people responsible," he said. Seventeen of the dead are men, two are women.</blockquote>
Alan - February 9, 2004 9:54 AM
Arrests made.
Alan - February 11, 2004 3:32 PM
Now it appears everyone knew exactly what was going on - even the local MP! - and the protection of these people only became important <i>after they were dead</i>.
Alan - September 19, 2005 1:16 PM
As an FYI I note that the trial is now happening in this matter.
Alan - March 28, 2006 1:44 PM
The sentence was 14 years.