Saving Seafood

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.

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Consumer confidence could impact US seafood buyers more than tariffs

April 11, 2025 — As global seafood suppliers grapple with the potential impacts of threatened tariffs on grocery and restaurant sales, overarching consumer concerns are likely to end up having a greater impact on U.S. shopper spending.

“People focus on whether the tariff is 25 percent or 15 percent, but I think the bigger question is whether this is going to pull back a consumer that has been really strong for a very long time, and the same thing for business confidence,” Circana Executive Vice President Perimeter Practice Leader Chris DuBois told SeafoodSource at the Circana Growth Summit, which ran from 7 to 9 April in Orlando, Florida. “If you see big prices moving in the store, hold on.”

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Lawmakers, officials debate pros and cons of tariffs on the seafood sector

April 10, 2025 — Lawmakers in Congress are debating the impact of the Trump administration’s ever-fluctuating tariffs on the seafood sector, with a handful of Republicans crossing the aisle in favor of curtailing the president’s authority to implement tariffs without review.

U.S. President Donald Trump has moved swiftly in the first few months of his second administration to improve the nation’s trade deficit by implementing wide-ranging tariffs on foreign goods – though he’s walked many of the tariffs back just as quickly.

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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.

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Trump’s latest tariff order hits billions in US seafood imports from top source countries

April 3, 2025 — On 2 April, U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on earlier promises to enact “reciprocal” tariffs, announcing a set of sweeping tariffs that will hit nearly every country in the world – and could cost U.S. seafood importers billions of dollars.

Trump, who declared his tariff action “Liberation Day,” signed an order to enact 10 percent tariffs on all countries by 5 April and additional tariffs on a range of countries that will take effect 9 April. In its official fact sheet about the tariffs, the White House said the tariffs are intended to “rebuild the economy and restore national and economic security.”

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US seafood sales plummet in February due to later Lent, economic anxiety

March 17, 2025 — Seafood sales plummeted in February at U.S. retail stores, mainly due to the Lent and Easter seasons starting later this year compared to 2024, according to new data from retail market research firms Circana and 210 Analytics.

Frozen seafood sales value realized the greatest shortfall by category in the month, decreasing 8.5 percent year over year to USD 663 million (EUR 610 million). Sales by volume in the category, meanwhile, declined 11.7 percent.

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US tariffs leave Chinese seafood exporters scrambling

March 10, 2025 — New tariffs on Chinese goods introduced by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump are causing havoc for Chinese seafood exporters, according to Landy Chow, the marketing manager of seafood import/export firm Siam Canadian.

Chow, who is based in China, told SeafoodSource that the impact of the new tariffs could be devastating for processors of breaded shrimp products exported from China to the U.S. – a seafood category in which China dominated prior to the imposition of 25 percent tariffs during the first Trump administration.

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China hits Canadian seafood items, including lobster and crab, with 25 percent tariff

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.

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US retail sales fall slightly amid tariff, inflation concerns

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.

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