TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — International solidarity for Taiwan’s migrant fishers is building, with supporters joining Taiwan’s migrant fishers in Boston to back the call for access to Wi-Fi while at sea.

Campaigners from local labor unions, environmental groups, religious organizations, and other groups joined migrant fishers working on Taiwanese vessels outside an industry expo in Boston on Sunday (March 12), in support of an ongoing mission to secure guaranteed wi-fi on Taiwanese fishing boats. Edi Kasdiwan of the Indonesian Seafarers Gathering Forum (FOSPI) said that having Wi-Fi on the boats will mean fishers can communicate with both labor organizations and their families.

“This is how we will protect our rights and our mental health and ensure we are getting fair pay and treatment,” Kasdiwan said. “We are asking seafood companies, governments, and vessel owners to ensure we have rights on the job and a way to talk to the outside world when we’re at sea.”

Research was conducted on 15 Taiwanese migrant-staffed fishing vessels in 2022 that showed only 11 had Wi-Fi access, though at best, the crew only had access for three hours each day. Following that, other ships only provided access on some days for a limited time, as short as 15 minutes.

Migrant fishers' most recent protest in Taiwan was in late February when fishers and rights groups gathered at the Taipei Fish Market to call on the government to ensure there is encrypted Wi-Fi on every Taiwanese boat. In a statement released in November, the Fisheries Agency of the Department of Agriculture said that it would provide subsidies of NT$3 million (US$99,000) for the purchase of equipment and monthly payments of NT$8000 for subscription fees, per ship.

A representative from the Stella Maris Seafarers Center, a Jesuit group advocating for migrant laborers based in Kaohsiung, told Taiwan News on Monday (March 13) that they have received no further updates from the Taiwan government since the November announcement.