Crews on foreign-charter fishing boats operating in New Zealand waters were subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse, according to a report by Auckland University.
The report by the University's Business School due to be released on Thursday was based on interviews with crew members of the South Korean fishing trawler Oyang 70 which sank with the loss of six lives in August last year, and its replacement vessel the Oyang 75.
It found that crews were regularly exploited by fishing companies and the agents who hired them, and that New Zealand officials were routinely lied to about wages and conditions.
Researcher Dr Christina Stringer told Radio New Zealand the Indonesian crew of the Oyang 75 told her of being beaten, working 40 hour shifts until they begged for a break, and sexually abused.
Some workers were given fish bait for their meals, she said.
