After a week-long shut down, which began on Aug. 21, due to fish supply shortages, StarKist Samoa cannery is scheduled to resume production on Monday.

StarKist Co., corporate spokesperson Michelle Faist told Samoa News last Friday morning that the Samoa Kist Samoa plant was expected to have fish delivered over the weekend and “will run its operations starting on Monday, Aug. 28.”

The largest private employer in the territory also announced on local broadcast stations since last Friday that production is scheduled to resume Aug. 28.

Several cannery workers, contacted last Friday and over the weekend, by Samoa News for comments on resumption of production, all said they are thankful to be returning to work in order to get money to support their families.

One cannery worker, who asked not be identified, said Saturday, “every time there is a shutdown, it really hurts my family financially” and “we have kids going back to public school on Sept. 5.”

When StarKist announced two weeks ago that it was shutting down production due to fish-supply shortages, the company also said that operations will resume when additional fish supplies are delivered.

Samoa News notes that anytime there is a shutdown of a cannery — which employs some 2,000 workers — it not only has a major affect on its workforce, but also companies providing support services.

Additional details in Monday’s report.