Chicken of the Sea
| Company type | Brand |
|---|---|
| Industry | Seafood |
| Founded | 1914 |
| Founder | Gilbert Van Camp |
| Headquarters | El Segundo, California , United States |
Area served | North America |
| Products | Canned, frozen, and refrigerated seafood including tuna, salmon, clams, crab, shrimp, mackerel, oysters, kippers, sardines |
| Owner | Thai Union Group |
Chicken of the Sea is a seafood brand owned by the Thai Union Group and is based in El Segundo, California. The brand offers a range of products including canned, frozen, and refrigerated seafood such as tuna, salmon, clams, crab, shrimp, mackerel, oysters, kippers, and sardines. Its affiliated brands include Genova and Ace of Diamonds.
History
The origins of the company trace back to 1914 when Gilbert Van Camp purchased the California Tuna Canning Company and renamed it Van Camp Sea Food Company. During the 1950s, the phrase "Chicken of the Sea" was introduced as a slogan to highlight the taste of its tuna, eventually becoming the company's official name.
In 1963, Ralston Purina acquired Van Camp Seafood. After experiencing financial challenges under Indonesian ownership in the late 1980s, majority ownership transferred to Prudential Life Insurance Company.
In 1997, ownership changed hands to Tri-Union Seafoods LLC—a joint venture comprising Thai Union International (a Bangkok-based conglomerate and one of the leading tuna packers worldwide), American tuna fleet proprietor Edmund A. Gann, and Singapore’s Tri-Marine International trading firm. Subsequently, the company was renamed Chicken of the Sea International. By 2000, Thai Union International assumed full ownership by purchasing its partners' shares.
The acquisition of Empress International in 2003 broadened Chicken of the Sea’s frozen shrimp and shellfish product lines, elevating annual revenues to around US$600 million. In 2006, Thai Union introduced Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods to penetrate premium fresh and frozen seafood markets, thereby enhancing the brand’s footprint across retail and foodservice channels.
In 2015, Chicken of the Sea was implicated in a price-fixing lawsuit alongside competitors Bumble Bee Foods and StarKist. Plans for a merger with Bumble Bee were discontinued after intervention by the U.S. Department of Justice due to antitrust issues.
A recall in 2016 involved approximately 107,000 cans of tuna that were undercooked because of equipment malfunction at an undisclosed production site.
By May 2018, Chicken of the Sea shifted its headquarters from San Diego to El Segundo, aligning with Thai Union’s expansion strategy for its North American operations.
Product name
The brand name derives from fishermen’s nickname for white albacore tuna as "chicken of the sea," referencing its white meat and mild taste. The founder selected this unique name to market their tuna products.
Their advertising emblem introduced in the 1950s features Catalina, a blonde mermaid holding a golden scepter, which became an iconic symbol for the company. Actress Grace Lee Whitney is recognized as the original portrayal of the Chicken of the Sea Mermaid, as recounted in her memoir The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy.