The StarKist cannery in American Samoa kicked off its operations for 2026 after a two-week pause in December for its annual holidays. The cannery is expected to produce 450 M/T per day, another 10 M/T more compared to last year’s daily production.

The plant witnessed “one of its highest worker turnouts” when production began last week, reported news site Talanei. A majority of the workforce, as usual, arrived from neighboring Samoa. A spokesperson for the company said that currently, StarKist has about 1,700 workers, which would reach 2,000 by the end of this week. Last month, Injoo Ha, President of the cannery, met with Samoa’s Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, to rope in at least 300 workers from the neighboring island nation. StarKist also stated that it has taken an initiative to build two new housing facilities for the guest workers.

Ecuadorian-flagged purse seiner, ‘Don Igilio’, sank in the wee hours of Friday, January 9, off the coast of Peru after being destroyed by a fire. All 25 crew members were rescued by a gillnetter ‘Yolanda’ flagged to Chile, that was operating nearby. Authorities are investigating the reason for the fire. Ecuador thanked the crew members of ‘Yolanda’ for their timely intervention. The survivors who were transferred to a Peruvian port will be brought to Manta in the coming days. A spokesperson for the Ecuadorian fishing industry said that it is a difficult situation, “but the men are safe and well,” reported Spanish news sites.

‘Don Igilio,’ built in 1987 is a 69-meter-long, seiner with a 1,014 gross tonnage and a fish hold capacity of 1,265 tons. It is registered under its owner, Manta-based Elvayka Kyoei, S.A. which belongs to the Eurofish. ‘Don Igilio’ and ‘Yolanda’ are listed under the IATTC vessel registry. The purse seiner is part of the Tunacons fishery that holds an MSC certification for EPO skipjack and yellowfin catches.

Dongwon F&B announced this week that its ‘Tuna Extract’ has won the 2026 Korea First Brand Award. The product is made by “boiling fresh tuna caught directly from the South Pacific for over five hours using Dongwon’s unique know-how, resulting in a deep, rich flavor. The smoked tuna extract content is high at over 80 percent,” read a company statement. It is sold in three varieties. One is the ‘Tuna Extract Jin’ with a bonito flavor that goes well with soups, steamed, and stir-fried dishes. The second is ‘Tuna Extract Pure’ with a reduced smoky tuna flavor, and the third is ‘Tuna Extract Premium,’ which contains 85 percent concentrate from smoked yellowfin.

The products have been in high demand with consumers since their launch in 2022, as sales increased by more than 50 percent in 2024. The company pointed out that it is now leading the tuna extract segment with cumulative sales of approximately 7.5 million bottles in 2025. A spokesperson said: “It seems that the excellent quality of the ‘Dongwon Tuna Extract’, including the extract of directly caught tuna and the high content of smoked tuna extract, has led to consumer satisfaction. We will continue to establish ourselves as a leading company in the tuna extract market through continuous research and development and active marketing activities.” The Korea First Brand Award, held in Seoul on January 6, was hosted by the Korea Consumer Forum and is one of the largest award ceremonies in the country, where consumers select and recognize brands.