As Trump takes power, Atlantic Canadian seafood firms look to diversify export market

Seafood industry representatives in Atlantic Canada are urging harvesters and exporters to diversify their markets, as United States President Donald Trump takes office for a second term.

Trump is holding off on his threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports and will instead sign a memorandum ordering U.S. federal agencies to study trade issues.

But Geoff Irvine, director of the Lobster Council of Canada, says the new U.S. administration is sending a message that Canada’s seafood industry should shift its focus to other international markets.

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He says Quebec and Atlantic Canada in 2023 together exported about $1.6 billion worth of lobster to the United States, adding that if tariffs are imposed it would cost valuable jobs and income across coastal communities.

Members of Canada’s seafood industry are heading on a trade mission to Europe in two weeks, but Irvine says the sector should do more by also developing markets in Asia and the Middle East.

Robert Huisch, a professor at Dalhousie University’s department of international development studies, says Atlantic Canadian businesses must remain vigilant over the next four years to the threats and risks of U.S. tariffs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2025. 

— With files from The Associated Press.