Tri Marine International says it is confident in the researched investments made for its American Samoa operations as well as its consumers, and say they are not in a position to comment on the business of other companies.

The Bellevue, Washington based company was responding to Samoa News inquiries following an announcement last Thursday by San Diego based Bumble Bee Seafoods, saying that their company has been acquired by Thai Union Frozen Products Public Company Limited (TUF), based in Asia.

TUF entered into a binding agreement to obtain 100 percent of the shares of Bumble Bee Foods, LLC from Lion Capital, a pan-Atlantic private equity firm, for a total purchase price of $1.5 billion, according to a Bumble Bee Food news release.

Thai Union already owns Chicken of the Sea International, another major U.S. canned tuna brand.

Samoa News reported the story in last Friday’s edition and it has become an issue of discussion within the local tuna and fishing industry as well as the private sector. They  wondered about the impact such an acquisition will have on tuna products by StarKist Co., and Tri Marine’s Samoa Tuna Processors Inc.

The Thai Union and Bumble Bee deal is subject to antitrust law approval by the federal government, and it's unclear how long the process will take for the federal government to make a decision.

Among the Samoa News questions posed with Tri Marine is whether the acquisition will be endorsed by the federal government when it comes to anti-trust laws; and what impact the acquisition will have on Tri Marine tuna products competing with Thai Union’s canned tuna products from Bumble Bee and Chicken of the Sea?

Responding to Samoa News questions, Tri Marine's chief operating officer, Joe Hamby said, Tri Marine “is not in a position to comment on the business of other companies,” and that “Thai Union is a well-respected and serious company.”

He also said that Tri Marine does not have any insight into the anti-trust review and approval process.

(The U.S. Department of Justice says the mission of its Antitrust Division is to promote competition in the U.S. economy through enforcement of, improvements to, and education about antitrust laws and principles, according to the department’s website.)

“And we don’t know how Thai Union is planning to rationalize, if at all, the marketing and sales efforts of the Chicken of the Sea and Bumble Bee businesses for the U.S. market,” he said.

“We are focused on our own plans and are confident in the well-researched investments we have made both in our new plants and our own consumer products through The Tuna Store,” Hamby said.

StarKist Co., corporate office didn’t immediately reply to Samoa News email questions and request for comments.

In the joint news release, Bumble Bee president and chief executive officer Chris Lischewski said, “I have always believed that Bumble Bee and Thai Union share a strong vision for innovation, operational excellence, sustainability and value for our consumers, making this combination good news for customers, consumers and the industry as a whole.”

"Importantly, we commit to uphold the indispensable role as one of the world's leaders in providing responsibly harvested and processed seafood,” he said.

Bumble Bee generates annual sales of about $1 billion and has a workforce of more than 1,300 people. Bumble Bee produces and sells canned, pouched and frozen seafood products across the United States and Canada.

Once the transaction is finalized, TUF and Bumble Bee will focus on enhancing operating efficiencies for material sourcing and production, innovation, and new product development, primarily in North American markets, said Bumble Bee.

See last Friday’s Samoa News edition for other details and background information.