Saving Seafood

Florida Keys lobster industry, reliant on Chinese consumers, braces for potential tariff impact

April 24, 2025 — In Conch Key, Kelly Cordova’s crews are getting traps ready for lobster season.

She’s been on the water her whole life.

“This is our family’s business,” said Cordova. “My mom and dad started when they were 15.”

But even as the Trump administration softens its tone on China tariffs, there’s still uncertainty over the possibility of reciprocal tariffs tacked on to the live lobster they export.

“We don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s really, really scary right now,” said Cordova.

Spiny lobster is a multi-million dollar industry in Florida and the Florida Keys are the biggest producer, harvesting nearly 4 million pounds last season.

Read the full story at Local 10

Continued tensions between Philippines and China may contribute to IUU fishing

April 24, 2025 — China and the Philippines have again accused each other of acting dangerously in the South China Sea, where the two nations continue to dispute important fishing grounds.

On 14 April, a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel sped up to cut off Philippines Coast Guard vessel BRP Cabra, which was patrolling near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in waters within the Philippines’ own exclusive economic zone. According to the Philippine government, China’s coast guard has been conducting illegal patrols in those waters to discourage Filipino fishers.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Experts warn US could leave WTO

April 16, 2025 —  Considering the U.S.’s launch of a global trade war and U.S. President Donald Trump’s disdain for international collaboration, experts are warning that the U.S. may soon leave the World Trade Organization (WTO), a move that could render trade rules unenforceable among developing economies and throw global trade further into chaos.

“We should not preclude a prospect where the U.S. will leave the WTO in the coming 18 months,” said Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, the director of the European Center for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and a former Swedish trade expert in WTO affairs. “On one hand, the U.S. outside of the system is a much better option than China being expelled and unhinged outside the system. On the other hand, the U.S. trade deficit is financing a lot of export-led growth around the world. Without that market access underwriting WTO rules, there would be no incentives for compliance among emerging markets.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

After latest escalation, tariffs between US and China stand at 125 percent – for now

April 11, 2025 — Both the United States and China have set tariffs of 125 percent on goods from the other nation after just over a week of back-and-forth increases.

China’s Ministry of Finance announced on 11 April it is imposing tariffs on imported goods from the U.S. of 125 percent, up from the 84 percent it announced just days before. That amount is in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalation of tariffs, which at first were increased to 54 percent, then bumped up again to 104 percent, before finally being increased to 125 percent as Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for most other countries.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Trump pauses tariffs on most countries, but raises tariffs on China to 125 percent

April 9, 2025 — U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries targeted by his “reciprocal” tariff action but raised tariffs on Chinese exports to 125 percent after the country promised retaliatory tariffs of its own.

Both China and Europe have announced retaliatory tariffs on goods from the U.S. as sweeping tariffs announced on 2 April by U.S. President Donald Trump were set to take effect on 9 April.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Experts see impact of U.S. tariffs in cargo level and container booking forecasts

April 9, 2025 —  Retail, shipping, and logistics industry stakeholders are already seeing the impacts of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff program and warn of more to come.

Trump first announced a set of sweeping tariffs on 2 April that were going to hit every country with tariffs ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent. A later announcement on 9 April paused those tariffs for most countries, while raising tariffs against China to 125 percent.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

WASHINGTON: WA farmers, seafood producers brace for Chinese tariffs as trade war deepens

April 7, 2025 — Another day, another Washington state industry caught in the trade crossfire between the U.S. and much of the rest of the world.

On Friday, farmers, seafood companies and other food makers in Washington were weighing potential damage after China announced 34% tariffs on U.S. exports, starting next Thursday, in retaliation for a new 34% U.S. tariff on Chinese goods announced Wednesday by President Donald Trump.

Though not unexpected, China’s tariff tit-for-tat means yet more pain for trade-reliant Washington, which last year sold nearly $700 million in everything from beef and seafood to wheat and hay to China, the state’s No. 4 export market for agricultural goods and seafood.

“It’s just unprecedented, what’s happening,” said Mark Anderson of Ellensburg-based Anderson Hay, which sells 70% of its crop overseas, including in China, of the latest tariffs. “And the more you dive into the details, the scarier the consequences are, because they’re all unknown.”

Read the full article at The Seattle Times

China hits all US goods with 34 percent tariff, escalating Trump trade war

April 4, 2025 — China’s Ministry of Finance has announced 34 percent tariffs on all U.S. goods in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff order.

Trump announced sweeping tariffs 2 April targeting nearly every country in the world with a baseline 10 percent tariff. As part of the trade action, China was hit with an additional 34 percent tariff, adding to two existing tariff actions to reach a 54 percent tariff on Chinese goods.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

As Trump administration upends international trade, seafood companies point out areas for improvement

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.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource