July 29, 2026 — A U.S. court has authorized distribution of USD 152.2 million (EUR 133.7 million) from funds linked to the settlement of a lawsuit against Chicken of the Sea, Bumble Bee, and StarKist related to their alleged connections to a price-fixing scheme for canned tuna.
U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw of the Southern District of California signed the order on 27 July, closing a longstanding legal battle.
February 18, 2020 — Locally based fishermen who supply the lone Starkist tuna cannery in American Samoa are facing a perfect storm of obstacles that are threatening their economic survival. A battle is now on in the U.S. territory to fend off those looming challenges, from rising fuel costs to international competition. Special correspondent Mike Taibbi reports with support from Pacific Islanders in Communications.
Mike Taibbi:
Morning prayers at the start of the old cannery’s 6 AM shift. Charlie Tuna’s cannery: Starkist. Some 2,400 workers troop to this 56-year old operation every day.
‘Let us celebrate,’ they sing in unison. ‘Bless our workers,’ implores a supervisor, adding ‘as well as our leaders, and management.’ Those leaders of an iconic American brand serve a company that’s now owned and managed by a South Korean conglomerate Dongwon.
Inside the cannery, trays are loaded with several types of thawed, cooked, cooled and ready to process tuna.