The Canadian province of Nova Scotia is trying to secure alternative markets outside of China for its seafood exports in an attempt to protect producers from the ongoing trade war between the two nations.
“We know tariffs add further uncertainty for seafood exporters in Nova Scotia; however, it is too soon to know what those impacts are. To help our companies, we are ramping up our work to support expansion into new markets, reaching new consumers, and adapting to changing global trends,” Nova Scotia Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Kent Smith told SeafoodSource. “Our market diversification efforts include increasing trade and market access opportunities in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region where Nova Scotia and Canada benefit from competitive advantages through preferential trade agreements with lower tariffs, transparent regulations, and strong bilateral relations.”
In March, China imposed a 25 percent tariff on Canadian seafood imports. Added to the 7 percent import duty already in place on Canadian crustaceans, that has brought the total tariff amount on popular items like Canadian lobster to 32 percent.
"It's a resilient industry that's been through a lot over the last hundreds of years. This is another obstacle that is unwanted, but we'll get through it," Smith told the CBC when the tariffs first were announced.
The tariffs are especially significant because China trailed just behind the U.S. in terms of top export markets for Nova Scotian seafood products in 2024. The eastern province sent CAD 615 million (USD 451 million, EUR 385 million) worth of products to China in 2024.
The next top Asian destination, South Korea, bought just CAD 61.4 million (USD 45 million, EUR 38 million) worth of Nova Scotia’s seafood exports; Japan was not far behind, buying CAD 59 million (USD 43.2 million, EUR 36.9 million)...
