September 14, 2020 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it’s setting aside more than half a billion dollars for fishermen hurt by tariffs associated with the U.S.-China trade war. Some Alaskans are applauding the move, but others worry the program leaves some out.
Jeremy Leighton is a dive fisherman based in Ketchikan. That means that as often as he can, he spends his days on the cold, murky seafloor looking for sea cucumbers and geoduck clams.
He was among the first Alaskans to see the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic — most of Alaska’s geoduck clam harvest is sold to consumers in China. When China locked down as the coronavirus spread, demand for the husky bivalves collapsed and managers closed the market.
Leighton and other fishermen were already facing a tough market — they were already looking at a 25% tariff on seafood exported to China.
“So the last year prices dropped since […] the tariffs were put on,” Leighton said.
But it’s not just geoduck fishermen. Frances Leach heads up United Fishermen of Alaska, a fishing industry group.