July 11, 2025 — U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Canada – the U.S.’s largest seafood trading partner – with 35 percent tariffs, but an official later confirmed the higher rate may not apply to most seafood.
In a letter sent to Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump once again claimed the “Nation’s Fentanyl crisis” is motivation for the tariffs and blamed Canada’s “failure to stop the drugs from pouring into our Country” for the new threats.
July 7, 2025 — The Canadian government says it is taking steps this summer to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with ships in its waters.
The whale is the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers only about 370. The whales give birth off the southeastern U.S. in the winter and spring and migrate north to New England and Canada to feed.
Along the way, the whales face dangers including ship strikes and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Environmental groups have long faulted the U.S. and Canadian governments for not doing enough to protect the critically endangered animals.
June 9, 2025 — U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick vowed to protect and support Maine lobster during a hearing on his department’s budget plans, while suggesting that Maine lobster processed in Canada would likely be unaffected by new tariffs.
“This administration views the Maine lobster industry as an American treasure, and we need to protect it,” Lutnick told lawmakers during a 4 June budget hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
April 29, 2025 — Canadian Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Joanne Thompson has won her re-election and will likely continue in the role as Canada’s Liberal Party won control of the government on 28 April.
Thompson was chosen for the role in March 2025, replacing former minister Diane Lebouthillier who served in the role since July 2023 when she replaced Joyce Murray. The shift in leadership came as former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped down from the role, with Liberal leadership passing to Mark Carney. Carney then called for an election, which ran on 28 April.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
April 24, 2025 — Though most Canadian goods have been spared from the steepest of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Jason McLinton, who recently became president of the Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC), said the reprieve was no cause for celebration.
“There’s uncertainty, and business does not do well with uncertainty,” he said.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
March 28, 2025 — With U.S. President Donald Trump set on reordering international trade to align with his “America First” priorities, seafood companies have been quick to list areas where they would like to see improvements.
Trump has moved swiftly in the first months of his second term to change the nation’s trade policies, threatening and implementing tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China.
March 12, 2025 — The seafood industry has so far mostly avoided tariffs on imports amid the global trade war started by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from all countries with no exemption starting 12 March, and the European Union and Canada immediately retaliated with new tariffs of their own. Trump claimed the tariffs are being imposed as imports of steel and aluminum pose a “national security threat.”
March 11, 2025 — Industry groups are pushing Canada’s government to engage diplomatically before tariffs decimate seafood companies
China recently announced 25 percent tariffs on Canadian seafood species – set to go into effect on 20 March – and leaders in the industry are anticipating a huge impact for multiple species.
March 10, 2025 — The government of China announced it is imposing 25 percent tariffs on an array of seafood items from Canada, in what it said was a response to Canadian tariffs on certain goods from China.
China’s Ministry of Finance announced the new tariffs on 8 March, and said the new tariffs are in response to a 100 percent tariff on electric vehicles and a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum products from China. Canada announced the set of tariffs in October 2024, and said it plans to tariff a range of goods including rapeseed oil, pork, and seafood.
March 10, 2025 — Overall U.S. retail and grocery sales fell slightly month-over-month in February as consumer concern about tariffs and food inflation tightened spending, but despite the drop sales still increased year-over-year, according to new data.
Sales at grocery and beverage stores fell 0.07 percent from January to February, but soared 4.08 percent year over year unadjusted, according to the National Retail Federation’s CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. Total retail sales, excluding automobiles and gasoline, also declined 0.22 percent seasonally adjusted in February, but inclined 3.38 percent unadjusted year over year.