The inherently international seafood industry could be seriously disrupted if President Trump imposes a 25% tax on Canadian products.
The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring major changes to the seafood sector, one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy, and some industry insiders believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. I believe you will.
Economic analysts say President Trump’s trade wars with major trading partners Canada and China could make already expensive types of protein even more expensive for consumers. are concerned and paint a more complex picture.
Conservationists also worry that Trump’s emphasis on government deregulation could jeopardize already imperiled fishing stocks.
But many in the commercial fishing and seafood processing industries said they were excited about Trump’s second term as president. They said they hope the president will continue to allow fishing in protected areas, crack down on the expansion of offshore wind power and reduce burdensome regulations, as he did under his first president. And they are hoping for a notable shift from President Joe Biden’s administration, which has prioritized ocean protection and championed wind power from the beginning.
Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, said the seafood industry doesn’t want a repeat of the tariff wars that hurt fishermen during President Trump’s first term. But she said the new Trump administration has a unique opportunity to mobilize support for U.S. fishermen.
“I think we should focus on feeding Americans,” Casoni said. “I think an ‘America First’ administration will make that point loud and clear: Know where your food comes from.”
But John Sacton, a longtime industry analyst and founder of Seafood News, believes that if President Trump implements his plan to impose a 25% tax on all products imported into Canada from Canada, international He said that the fisheries industry, which is of such a nature, could be in serious turmoil. . Canada is the United States’ largest seafood market for both imports and exports, with nearly one-sixth of the seafood imported by the United States from its northern neighbor, according to federal statistics released in November. In total, approximately 80% of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported.
Losing Canada, a particularly important buyer of American lobster, as a market for U.S. seafood could cause prices to collapse for fishermen, Sacton said. And while some products may become unavailable, others may become more expensive and still others may be in oversupply, he said. He described the seafood industry as “interdependent on both sides of the border.”
In Canada, those in Canada’s seafood industry are watching to see what changes President Trump brings, said Jeff Irvine, executive director of the Canadian Lobster Council, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. That’s what it means.
“The potential trade war will cause further harm to everyone (in Canada and the U.S.) and harm the Canadian and U.S. seafood sectors,” Irvine said in an email. “We are working with our allies in Canada and the United States to send this message to all governments.”
Representatives of several commercial fishing organizations said one of the big changes for fishermen under the new Trump administration is that they can now expect to have a seat at the table when high-level decisions are made. He said it was true. Trump last spoke with fishermen and listened to their concerns about the loss of fishing rights in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a roughly 5,000-square-mile (13,000-square-kilometer) protected area off the New England coast, officials said. said Robert Vanasse. Director of industry advocate Saving Seafood.
There is a high possibility that this goodwill will carry over to the inauguration of President Trump. And Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney representing the New Bedford, Mass.-based Sustainable Scalloping Fund, feels the industry has already won a victory with the election of a president who is an outspoken critic of offshore wind. He said there was. Fishermen of valuable seafood such as scallops and lobsters have long opposed the development of offshore wind power, fearing it would destroy key fishing grounds.
“The excitement in the industry is that offshore wind basically fits within the existing footprint and nothing more is done,” Minkiewicz said.
Other industry officials said they were concerned about how Trump would deal with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that regulates fishing. Rick Spinrad, the current undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, who was appointed by Biden, will be one of Trump’s key appointees. Trump went through three different administrators at the post during his first term.
Noah Oppenheim, coordinator of the Federation of Fisheries Communities, said the industry has been hit hard by recent major crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a trade war with Russia’s other major trading partner. He said he was not in a position to tolerate stable leadership. Small commercial fishing groups.
“The Federation of Fishing Communities has always been deeply concerned that governments’ shifts away from conservation and responsible fisheries management will cause serious and lasting damage to fisheries,” Oppenheim said.
Conservation groups that have been pushing for new fishing standards, such as stricter vessel speed limits and new fishing gear that is less likely to harm whales, also said they want to see the direction of Trump’s fisheries and oceans policy. . They said they were hopeful that the progress made under the Biden administration would survive Trump’s second term in office.
“It would be extremely short-sighted for the next administration to ignore the science and begin free-ranging fisheries that will only harm fisheries and healthy oceans in the long run,” said senior attorney Jane Davenport. . Defender of wildlife.
