In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, many governments, institutions, and businesses have been standing up to help the more vulnerable people. Worldwide tuna companies have carried out initiatives to help local communities during the crisis. They have donated thousands of cans of tuna, tuna meals, other food items, and medical equipment. Canned tuna is often among the staple products in food boxes donated by other organizations.

Companies are also adamant about protecting their workers - strong measures have been put in place to guarantee their safety. One processing company announced a 15 percent bonus on top of its employees' base salaries to reward their efforts and commitment during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Jan Tharp, the CEO of Bumble Bee, has joined the board of directors of Gathered Foods, which produces the plant-based seafood replacement brand, Good Catch. This emphasizes Bumble Bee’s commitment to cater plant-based proteins to its consumers.

Recently, Bumble Bee announced its move into plant-based seafood in a joint venture with Good Catch. This is part of the company’s plan to revitalize its business after it pled guilty to price-fixing and its ex-CEO was found guilty of the same crime by a US federal jury.

A tuna purse seiner is being held in the Port of Abidjan after it was refused permission to leave due to a possible case of coronavirus among the crew. The fisherman who had a fever and other symptoms was briefly sent to a hospital. He was discharged and now is back in isolation on board the vessel.

The boat in question is the ‘Egalabur,’ a 91.1 meter-long seiner flagged to Cape Verde and owned by the Spanish tuna fishing company, ATUNSA. As of now, it remains unclear when the quarantine will be over and the vessel will be allowed to leave the port.