Tri Marine International says it wants American Samoa to be the tuna hub of the Pacific.
The company, which is building a new cannery in Pago Pago, believes that smaller island countries should be delivering their catches to the local canneries rather than trying to build their own fish processing facilities.
The Chief Operating Officer, Joe Hamby, says the local canneries need security of fish supplies and neighbouring island countries can provide that.
He says beacuse American Samoa's exclusive economic zone is small, there's a lot of tuna caught around the country and bringing it to Pago Pago will help small island countries and give markets confidence the tuna is packed well.
"So there has to be a cooperation, a common goal, of bringing the fish to American Samoa from the surrounding areas. Places where they don't have infrastructure, they don't have the population or the water to support a large-scale tuna processing facility like the one we're operating here."
Joe Hamby.
