The geoduck fishery in British Columbia, Canada is bracing for the start of China’s 25 percent tariffs on shellfish on 20 March, which could completely upend the market.
China announced the tariffs on 8 March, hitting a range of Canadian goods, including Canadian shellfish. Geoduck is included in that higher tariff – and according to Underwater Harvesters Association Executive Director Grant Dovey, they came as a surprise during an already difficult year for the fishery.
“This was a surprise. Granted, they’re talking about a retaliatory tariff from the fall of 2024, but it was not on anyone’s radar,” Dovey told SeafoodSource.
Underwater Harvesters Association represents geoduck harvesters in B.C. Geoduck in the fishery are harvested individually by divers that swim to the bottom and grab members of the species by hand.
According to Katie Lindsey, marketing manager for the association, the fishery was already struggling.
“We were already struggling in our fishery this year, its been our slowest year of production juts based on the economy in China,” Lindsey said. “We spoke to our retailers in the wet market, they said that they were operating at about 25 percent of what they usually are in any given year.”
Because of the slow market in China, the fishery still wasn’t close to catching its full quota with the end of the season approaching.
“The season was supposed to end at the end of March, and we needed an extension prior to the tariffs – and then the tariffs happened and we need an extension even more,” Lindsey said.
An extension needs to come from the government, but according to Lindsey the fishery hasn’t heard anything...
