FILE - In this March 23, 2016 file photo, a foreign worker unloads fish from a U.S. fishing vessel at Pier 38 in Honolulu. On Friday, Sept. 18, 2020 the Hawaii Supreme Court heard arguments on the legality of issuing licenses to foreign workers in Hawaii's longline commercial fishing fleet, which for years has been under scrutiny after an Associated Press investigation revealed claims of human trafficking and questionable labor practices. The case involves the issuance of Hawaii state commercial fishing licenses to individual foreign fishermen who are not “lawfully admitted” to the United States. The petition was denied by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, which issues the permits, and a lower court upheld the ruling before the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. They are not protected by U.S. or state labor laws.