The Winding Glass: Importers to Face $79 Million in Fresh Seafood Taxes Over the Next 90 Days

The US has ignited a unilateral trade war with Canada and Mexico this week. It will have an immediate impact on fresh seafood prices and availability, hitting retailers, wholesalers, and distributors. Having worked with Canadian fisheries for 40 years, I wanted to examine how deeply Canadian fresh imports are embedded in the US supply chain.

To conduct our analysis, we looked at the actual import figures in 2024 for the months of February, March, and April...

Trump Slaps Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China: Seafood Industry Braces for Impact, Latest Updates

After weeks of nonstop speculation, the White House confirmed that President Donald Trump would be implementing tariffs on various US trading partners, including Canada, Mexico and China.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reports on January 31 that Trump will implement 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and a 10% duty on China starting on February 1.

NBC News reported that the details of how tariffs will be distributed remained unclear, but the plan will be available for public inspection on February 1. No comments were...

FFAW Calls for Transparency and Accountability in Fish Harvesters’ Resource Centre 

ST. JOHN’S, NL – It’s been more than nine months since the Fish Harvesters’ Resource Centre (FRC) has refused to call a board meeting or provide members with important information regarding the organization’s operations. FFAW-Unifor President Dwan Street is now calling for the FRC to operate with transparency and accountability. 

FRC is a nonprofit, governed by a board of directors, that  provides dockside monitoring services to fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Our elected Inshore Council has been calling for increased transparency and accountability regarding the boards our Union ...

Grieg Seafood NL Clarifies Temporary Pause in Post-Smolt Facility Construction

Grieg Seafood NL confirmed that the pause in construction for its planned post-smoltification (PSA) facility in Newfoundland and Labrador was a temporary measure.

The statement from the company follows a news report produced by NTV, which featured the mayor of Marystown, NL, showcasing his worries about the project's future, along with Grieg’s presence in the community.

“Is this just a ploy to let it go gingerly into the future to soften the blow?” Marystown Mayor Brian Keating theorized...

FDA Expands Recall of Canadian Oysters Amid Norovirus Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded its recall of certain oysters harvested in British Columbia, Canada, on December 27.

The FDA published an advisory stating that California restaurants and food retailers that recently bought Fanny Bay, Sunseeker, and Cloudy Bay oysters from growing area BC 14-8 Landfile (LF) # 0278741 on 11/27/2024 and 12/03/2024 and from growing area BC 14-8 LF # 0335309 on 12/03/2024 and 12/05/2024 should not serve or sell the products...

Japan: Russian Snow Crab Imports up 20% in January-October, Pushing Down US Imports by 30%

Snow crab imports are on the rise partly due to the influx of crab from the Barents Sea in Russia. According to trade statistics from the Ministry of Finance, imports of frozen snow crab from January to October were 17,618 tons, up 20% from last year. Of that, imports from Russia were 11,564 tons, up 20%, reported Minato Shimbun.

The winning bid price at an auction in Busan, South Korea, for new frozen opilio snow crab from the Russian...

Canada To Fund $4.3 Million Job Program for B.C. Agriculture and Food Sectors

On Friday, December 6, 2024, the Government of Canada announced the rollout of the Recruitment, Retention and Innovative Skills Training Program, which will provide new supports for farming, seafood, and food-processing sectors within British Columbia in an effort to address labor-market needs.

The program falls under the Agriculture and Food Workforce Development Initiative and is delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation (IAF). Program offerings include employment and advancement opportunities for domestic workers and building and retainment measures for a skilled workforce. Applications for the...

US Crab Prices Soar Amid Diminished Supply

The 2024 Canadian snow crab season began with prices in April up 19% compared to the already remarkable levels of 2023, according to Urner Barry by Expana. Despite the increase, these prices remained manageable for retail and food service sectors, holding steady throughout the summer and into September. However, as inventories dwindled, prices surged further, with Canadian snow crab now up over 40% compared to the same time period last year.

More than 90% of U.S. imports of Canadian snow crab occurred early in the season when prices were lower, which benefited retailers and...

Cooke CEO Urges NL Premier to Withdraw from National Marine Conservation Area Proposal

Canadian seafood company Cooke Inc. urged the government to rethink the creation of a National Marine Conservation Area in Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador Province.

In a letter to NL’s Office of the Premier, Cooke Inc. CEO Glenn Cooke urged Premier Andrew Furey to withdraw from the Memorandum of Understanding to establish the conservation area in the South Coast Fjords region of the province.

Cooke argued that the conservation area, approximately 911,000 hectares (9,110 square kilometers) of provincial inshore waters, would “eliminate fisheries and...

Key Nova Scotia Lobster Fishing Areas to Open Tuesday After Delayed Start

Dumping Day for lobster fishing areas (LFA) 33 and 34 will begin on November 26. The staple Nova Scotia fishery was delayed due to heavy winds.

The start of commercial fishing for LFA 34, the larger of the two areas, will begin at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, while LFA 33 will begin at 7 a.m., per local media reports. Lobster Fishing Area 33 stretches from Cow Bay in Halifax Regional Municipality to Shelburne County; Lobster Fishing Area 34 covers Shelburne County to Digby County...

Price Setting Changes and Strike Options Highlight NL’s Snow Crab Fishery Reform

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has mapped out 10 decisions and directions that pave the way for sweeping changes to the massive snow crab fishery. This includes notable changes to the price-setting process and the potential for lockouts and strikes.

Gerry Byrne, NL’s Minister of Fisheries, Forestry, and Agriculture, said the plan to overhaul the fishery would ensure “management, efficiency, and fairness” in a statement released ahead of his appearance at the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW) union Triannual Convention on November 18...

Trump to Lay Out Trade Vision but Won't Impose New Tariffs Yet

President-elect Donald Trump is planning to issue a broad memorandum Monday that directs federal agencies to study trade policies and evaluate U.S. trade relationships with China and America's continental neighbors -- but stops short of imposing new tariffs on his first day in office, as many trading partners feared.

The presidential memo directs federal agencies to investigate and remedy persistent trade deficits and address unfair trade and currency policies by other nations, two longstanding Trump irritants. And it singles out China, Canada and Mexico for scrutiny, directing agencies...

Hodges: US Crab Sales are Strong with Limited Inventories

The year ended as it began, with strong retail support for snow crab. According to Urner Barry, April prices when the 2024 Canadian snow crab season began rose by 19% compared to the remarkable levels of 2023. Despite the higher prices, the trade perceived snow crab as being a strong value, leading to 78 million pounds being imported in the first three months of the season. Favorable import prices persisted throughout the summer and into fall.

Canada dominates the U.S. snow crab market, accounting for 91% of total snow crab imports through...

Trudeau Resigns Amid Controversy Over BC Salmon Farming Transition

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the leader behind the decision to shift British Columbia’s salmon farming industry away from net-pen farming, announced that he would resign from his post on January 6. 

Trudeau will leave office once a new ruling party leader is chosen, according to reports. The Liberal Party leader for the last 11 years, Trudeau, has faced rising discontent of late amid key resignations of close political allies. 

One of the lasting impacts of Trudeau’s term is the salmon farming transition plan the government first introduced in 2019...

ASP Drops Complaint Against Quin-Sea Fisheries in Snow Crab Dispute

In the latest twist in the Canadian snow crab saga, the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) has dropped its complaint against Quin-Sea Fisheries, one of its member companies.

In October, the ASP, which represents seafood processors in Newfoundland and Labrador, filed an application to the province’s Labour Relations Board claiming that Royal Greenland-owned Quin-Sea Fisheries refused to hand over sales receipts that the ASP argued were required to pass along under the third-party review of 2024 snow crab sales...

ANALYSIS: Canadian Lobster Prices Stabilize Amid Export Slowdown

Canadian live lobster prices have been stabilizing this autumn, following a gradual increase since June. Latest data from Expana shows a market price for live chix exported to Europe standing at 12.18 USD/lb (C+F incoterm) on 5/12/24, which represents a 60% rise since the year-low value of 7.6 USD/lb at the beginning of June...

Canada To Issue Exploratory Fishing Licenses for Quebec Lobster Industry in Spring 2025

On December 5, 2024, the Honorable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced the continuation of the data acquisition plan for Quebec’s lobster fishing industry.

Come spring 2025, the Department will issue new exploratory fishing licenses to assess lobster stock capacity and responsible fishery development as well as to support additional catches. License holders will participate in gathering critical data related to the stock assessment, including learning more about lobster abundance and distribution.

“Starting this spring, First Nations and industry will be..."

The Winding Glass: Heavy Lobster and Crab Tariffs Could Cripple the US; Canadian Seafood Industry

Canadian lobster and crab industries face severe stress due to President-elect Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs across the board on all Canadian imports to the US.

Under the worst-case scenario, higher sale prices would cut demand to the extent that lobster and crab would be left in the water. For both exports, the Canadians have no replacement for the US market. To increase sales to China, Japan, and Europe, they would have to offer drastic price cuts...

Canada and Province of New Brunswick to Fund $38M in Fish and Food Sector Improvements

The Government of Canada and the Province of New Brunswick recently announced the allocation of $38 million in funding for a variety of projects that will enhance New Brunswick’s fishing and seafood sector. Projects will focus on key updates to infrastructure and improvements to productivity and ecologically friendly practices as well as scientific partnerships.

The fisheries in New Brunswick are vital to Atlantic Canada’s economy, with commercial fish landings amounting to $4.289 billion in 2022, inaddition to the economies of the individual...

Fisheries Council of Canada Supports Swift Government Intervention in Port Disruptions

The Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC) supports the government’s decision to legislate port workers back to work. With disruptions from work stoppages at ports in both British Columbia and Montreal, FCC members are facing significant financial impacts, as critical freight remains stalled at docks or delayed in warehouses. This situation has broad implications, affecting not only the seafood industry but also the Canadian economy and consumers nationwide.

Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon’s intervention on Tuesday, directing the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order the...