Canada has removed seafood and fish products from its retaliatory tariff list, easing concerns that a 25 percent tariff on American lobster could disrupt a key market just as Maine’s fall lobster season gets underway.
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) welcomed the decision Thursday, Aug. 27, one day after warning that the proposed tariff could have significant consequences for fishermen, shoreside businesses and coastal communities.
Canada had planned to impose a 25 percent tariff on American lobster beginning Sept. 8, according to the MLA. The association said Canada purchases roughly half of Maine’s lobster during the critical fall fishing season, making continued access to the Canadian market particularly important during the coming months.
On Wednesday, the MLA warned that the tariff could put significant downward pressure on dock prices at a time when lobstermen are already facing historically high operating costs, tight margins and an increasingly difficult business environment.
“Maine lobstermen should not become collateral damage in a broader trade dispute,” MLA executive director Patrice McCarron said in the Aug. 26 statement. “Losing access to such an important market at the height of our fall season could be devastating to fishermen and coastal communities.”
The association called on the Trump administration to act before the Sept. 8 effective date to protect tariff-free access for American lobster, arguing that maintaining the Canadian market was essential to keeping U.S. seafood competitive.
By Thursday morning, however, the MLA said Canada had removed seafood and fish products from the retaliatory tariff list, a move the association called welcome news for Maine lobstermen and the businesses and communities that depend on the fishery.
“Keeping seafood tariff-free protects our shared supply chain and avoids unnecessary economic harm on both sides of the border,” McCarron said.
The rapid reversal removes, at least for now, the immediate threat of a 25 percent Canadian tariff on American lobster during the fall season.
The MLA is urging both the U.S. and Canadian governments to continue maintaining tariff-free lobster trade between the two countries.
“We appreciate Canada’s decision to listen to the concerns raised by the seafood industry and remove seafood from these tariffs,” McCarron said. “We urge both governments to continue protecting the longstanding tariff-free trade in lobster that benefits fishermen, businesses and coastal communities throughout North America.”
