Lobster industry somewhat relieved by U.S. tariff exclusion but uncertainty remains

The Lobster Council of Canada says it was relieved after the seafood industry was spared from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement last week, but uncertainty still looms.

It’s been an unpredictable time for many industries amid the trade war, and the lobster industry isn’t immune.

Last week, seafood exports were excluded from a new round of U.S. tariffs, but Geoff Irvine with the Lobster Council of Canada says that doesn’t mean the industry is out of the woods yet.

“We were relieved last week by the U.S. non-announcement, but we still have the Chinese tariffs and we still have the threat hanging over us — the uncertainty from the U.S.,” Irvine said.

He says China’s 25 per cent tariff on Canadian seafood went into effect March 20, and that’s adding more pressure. It impacted lobster, snow crash and shrimp, with price volatility affected the supply chain down to the harvester.

According to the federal government, China is Canada’s second-largest fish and seafood export market after the U.S., with $1.3 billion in products shipped to China in 2024.

“This sort of shock will give us more impetus, more money from governments, from ourselves, to invest in developing new markets,” Irvine said. “It’s been relatively easy to sell most of our production south of the border. It’s a good kick in the butt that we probably need.”

He says the uncertainty is motivating both governments and the industry to invest in new markets and seek different trading partners.