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Maine lobster no longer included in Canada tariffs
Portland Press Herald - Maine Sunday Telegram • • nation
Key Points:
- Canada has removed seafood and fish products from its planned 25% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, protecting Maine’s fisheries from new trade barriers amid escalating tensions with the U.S.
- The decision was praised by Maine Lobstermen’s Association and Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, who warned that tariffs on lobster exports would have severely harmed Maine’s coastal communities and economy.
- Despite the removal of seafood tariffs, other U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum continue to raise costs for Maine’s lobster industry, as traps are made from these materials.
- The trade dispute escalated after Canada withdrew from negotiations over U.S. demands, leading to the imposition of tariffs under a rarely used Great Depression-era law by the Trump administration.
- Maine exports $1.3 billion in goods annually to Canada, with about 80% of its $378 million seafood exports going to Canada, underscoring the importance of tariff-free trade between the two neighbors.
