Latest news with #LobsterCouncilofCanada
CBC
15-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Canadian crab, lobster industry officials look for answers in Boston
Goal at trade expo is to settle on best prices, explore new markets as tariffs approach Image | Geoff Irvine of the Lobster Council of Canada says harvesters must decide whether to increase the m Caption: Geoff Irvine is with the Lobster Council of Canada. (Mark Crosby/CBC) Canadian crab and lobster industry representatives, including some from New Brunswick, will be looking for answers and opportunities at a seafood exhibition in Boston. The goal is to develop relations with other industry players as Canada faces tariff troubles with both the U.S. and China. The U.S. has postponed 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods until April 2, but China's tariffs that target Canadian crab and lobster will come into effect March 20, according to a previous CBC report. "It's going to be very difficult to settle on prices given that we have to build in that the tariffs are happening," said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada. "Most of our live lobster is sold, so we're coming into the spring with a fairly blank slate knowing that we're going to have a significant amount of lobster in April and May and June." Image | Lobster fishing, Anse-Bleue, NB Caption: The Lobster Council of Canada aims to sort out the best price that would work through the supply chain, as tariffs approach. (CBC/Radio-Canada) Open Image in New Tab The expo attracts many countries. Major seafood exporters set up booths at the show. "I'll be looking to see what they do, how they do it, how they pay for it, and try to bring that home, and once again attempt to come up with a marketing strategy for all Canadian seafood," said Irvine. He said there is another seafood expo in Spain this May to discuss the European market. Irvine said he is also in talks with customers in China, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. "I fully expect that a lot of our exporters will switch as much of their sales to other markets as they can," he said. "But keeping in mind that the United States is by far our biggest market and we must sell a significant amount of our products here, and we will." Gilles Theriault, the executive director of the New Brunswick Crab Processors Association, will also be in Boston. He said his goal is to return with an understanding about who — the buyer or the seller — would bear the extra cost of tariffs. It would either mean an expensive product for the customer or a loss for the fisher, he said. He said inflated prices in the U.S. could lead consumers to avoid expensive lobsters and crabs until the off-season. He said if that happens, it may complicate how the fishers get paid as the product would have to be stored and rates would likely change. Theriault is also looking to develop new markets possibly in Europe and Asia. "People have to understand that you don't develop these markets overnight, it takes time, it takes years sometimes," he said. Irvine said there certainly is a high demand in the American market for Canadian seafood, regardless of tariffs, and it is just a question of sorting out the best price that would work through the supply chain. He said he met a number of Americans on Friday night and their reaction fascinated him. "They were apologetic," he said. "They were empathetic. I think we have a real opportunity in America to appeal to Americans who support us." He said he is optimistic about the outcome. He said anything else could lead to "a meltdown" for the Canadian lobster industry. "It has to go as I expect it to go. This is … our biggest market by far."
CBC
13-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Chinese seafood tariffs will 'destroy' business, says N.S. company official
A Hacketts Cove, N.S., seafood producer fears the looming introduction of Chinese tariffs could have a devastating effect on his business. China has said it will impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian seafood effective March 20 in retaliation for levies Canada introduced in October on Chinese-made electric vehicles, steel and aluminum products. The list of over 40 products facing the tariff includes lobster, crab, shrimp, halibut and more. Sam Gao, president of Atlantic Sea Cucumber Ltd., said he was already concerned about the 25 per cent tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump has been threatening since he took office in January. But he wasn't expecting the announcement earlier this month that China was also going to slap tariffs on Canadian seafood. "It will totally destroy our business," said Gao, whose company exports products made with sea cucumber, a small marine animal with leathery skin known for its health benefits in traditional Chinese medicine. Its largest markets are the U.S. and China. Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Kent Smith said Wednesday that it's too early to share specifics on how $200 million set aside in the 2025-26 provincial budget to help respond to tariffs will be spent. "We don't know exactly what that support looks like at the moment. It's a bit premature as there are no tariffs in place at the present time," said Smith in an interview. "We're certainly keeping a close eye on it. We've had ongoing discussions with industry and we'll be there to support as much as we can." Expanding to other markets Gao said he is concerned about Atlantic Sea Cucumber's ability to survive tariffs and compete against firms in Iceland and Norway. "We have some products in the U.S. and China at the moment in the warehouse. But after we finish that, our price will be totally not competitive," he said. Smith said roughly 52 per cent of Nova Scotia seafood exports go south of the border and 25 per cent go to China, making the threat of tariffs "incredibly worrisome" for the industry. He said he's been on multiple trade missions to Asian and European countries looking to diversify the fisheries market, and his department is also focusing on increasing markets within Canada. Gao, though, said the sea cucumber is not typically eaten in Europe or Canada, meaning his company would have to invest in marketing and "market education," something it can't afford to do while staring down the threat of going out of business. Lobster industry making difficult decisions Smith said the tariffs are especially troublesome for the live lobster sector. "[China] purchased about $450 million worth of Nova Scotian live lobster and so the tariff has the potential to negatively impact that product the most," he said. Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, told CBC's Information Morning Halifax the tariffs pose a significant challenge to the lobster industry, especially as companies plan for the busy spring season. "What the price is going to be, how much, what sort of labour do we need to bring in to produce what we're going to sell — these are all decisions that are painfully difficult when you're facing a potential 25 per cent higher prices to your customers," he said.
CBC
10-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
China's looming seafood tariffs just add to 'craziness,' says lobster organization
Social Sharing Nat Richard said he was stunned when he learned that China was hitting Canada's seafood sector with 25 per cent tariffs. The tariffs themselves were not very surprising — Canada had placed heavy levies against Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum in the fall, and retaliation was expected. But Richard, the executive director of the Lobster Processors Association, which has members across the Maritimes, said China's decision simply adds to the disorientation already caused by the unpredictability in trade with the U.S. "It just adds to the craziness we've been dealing with, the uncertainty," he said in an interview. While U.S. President Donald Trump is postponing 25 per cent tariffs against most Canadian goods until April 2, China's tariffs will come into effect March 20. The seafood products China is targeting include crab, shrimp, prawn, clams and dozens more, according to a list from the Canadian government. Lobster is also on the list. Richard said China only accounted for three per cent of frozen lobster exports in 2024, but live lobster is a different story. "China is the largest market," he said, adding it rivals the U.S. in terms of demand. WATCH | 'There'll be more indecision, and it makes it very difficult to plan,' says Geoff Irvine: On again, off again trade war 'terrible' for lobster market, industry says 3 days ago Duration 2:28 Richard said Statistics Canada data shows the U.S. and China together represented 83 per cent of Canada's lobster exports in 2024, including both live and frozen. Total exports represented $2.49 billion, with the U.S. representing about $1.9 billion and China representing $525 million. The incoming Chinese tariffs only exacerbate anxiety caused by the uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs, Richard said. With the spring fishing season just a matter of weeks away, he said the biggest concern is that U.S. tariffs will hit mid-season. 'That could be very dangerous for the industry,' he said. The Lobster Council of Canada said it was too early to make an official statement on Sunday. Stewart Lamont, managing director of Tangier Lobster Company in Nova Scotia, said he was disappointed and slightly surprised by news of the Chinese tariffs. But he said he wasn't shocked, knowing retaliation was on the way. Still, he said the trade war with the U.S. along with a busy holiday season have been too distracting to prepare for potential tariffs from China. "We've hardly had time to prepare for the tariffs potentially coming from America," he said. "It's a volatile, fluid, international market, so all of this is happening while the seafood industry has a lot on its plate." However, Lamont's company has been working on diversifying its markets for 30 years, and hasn't sold to the U.S. at all in the past two or three years. Lamont added that China makes up for approximately 15 per cent of exports from his company, and the rest goes to markets across Canada and in Europe.
CBC
07-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
'Cruel' tariff threats bring endless uncertainty to N.B. fisheries
Leaders in New Brunswick's fishing industry are not mincing words when it comes to the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the constant back and forth of tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. "Oh, it's painful. It's painful," said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, in an interview with CBC Radio's Shift, just minutes after Trump delayed tariffs on Canada for a second time. "It's almost worse with the tariffs being on the back and forth and the up and down. It's very difficult for businesses to deal with this," Irvine said. The latest date for tariffs to take effect, now set for April 2, coincides with the opening of lobster season in some sectors of the Atlantic region, but that's about all Irvine could say for certain about the potential impact. "Honestly, I don't have a clue. Every single processor, shipper and exporter will have to talk to their customers." He said the constantly changing news is destabilizing. "It's very painful. And think about the harvesters who have to buy bait and plan for their fishing season — without knowing what the biggest market is going to pay for their products." WATCH | 'There'll be more indecision, and it makes it very difficult to plan,' says Geoff Irvine: On again, off again trade war 'terrible' for lobster market, industry says 8 minutes ago Duration 2:28 Despite recently embarking on a trade mission to Europe to explore diversifying Canadian markets for lobster, the U.S. remains a major partner. Out of about $3 billion worth of Canadian lobster exported last year, Irvine said 55 per cent is frozen, out of which 75 per cent goes to the United States, which puts the province at more risk. "It's sort of pandemic-level worry and uncertainty. And it's cruel. It's cruel, and it's not okay," Irvine said. The rest of the exported Canadian lobster is live, with 40 per cent of that going to the U.S., 40 per cent to China, and the rest elsewhere, he said. "People understand that we're dealing in an international protein market and things happen. But this from our best customer, our best ally and neighbour, is really cruel and unusual." 'No one has a crystal ball,' MP says Lobster is far from the only fishery affected. Speaking at an event announcing federal funding for shrimp processors on the Acadian Peninsula to diversify into the redfish industry, Bathurst-Acadie MP Serge Cormier acknowledged that tariffs were likely on everyone's mind. "No one has a crystal ball, no one, we don't know," Cormier said in French, referring to the uncertainty. Cormier said he was part of a recent mission to Washington, D.C., to meet with politicians to explain the severity of the proposed tariffs and how inter-connected U.S. and Canadian fishery producers and buyers are. "I think that it opened the eyes of many people, and I encourage you to do it, too," Cormier told the crowd, which included many fishing industry leaders from the region. "I encourage you to contact your customers, your suppliers that you have, your associations that you do business with, to make them aware of how damaging these tariffs will not only be for Canada, but will be damaging for them." Speaking to a reporter, Cormier said that if tariffs do come down, "all kinds of options are on the table" from the federal government, in terms of supporting workers in the fisheries, including possible changes to Employment Insurance benefits. The snow crab fishery is also close to opening in the waters of northeastern New Brunswick. Joël Gionet, president of the Association des crabiers acadiens, said his industry has been closely watching tariff developments. "If the price of crab increases by 25 per cent on the markets, what will the consumer do? He might switch to other products," Gionet said in French. "I spoke to a few buyers and it's the same, they don't know. They are waiting to meet their buyers to see how it will work." Despite tariff threats, Gionet said the snow crab market is strong in the United States this year because of the low Canadian dollar and prices that have increased about 50 per cent in the past year.
