Multiple groups representing the Oregon pink shrimp fishery are pushing the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to ensure fair trade for seafood with the United Kingdom.
The Oregon Trawl Commission (OTC), the Shrimp Producers Marketing Cooperative, and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) wrote a joint letter to USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer calling for more fair and reliable access to the U.K. market – particularly for Oregon pink shrimp (Pandalus jordani). According to the organizations, the main competitors to Oregon pink shrimp in the U.K. are coldwater species like Pandalus borealis and Pandalus montagui.
Demand for those species has increased in recent years, and according to the joint letter, that’s in part thanks to those species benefiting from autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs).
“ATQs for coldwater shrimp of both the Pandalus borealis and Pandalus montagui species were temporarily increased to meet rising demand, which further demonstrates the popularity of coldwater shrimp among U.K. consumers and the commercial opportunity potentially available to U.S. shrimpers,” the letter states.
The U.K. – as well as the E.U. – set ATQs on a range of different products allowing for the suspension or reduction of a duty attached to a certain volume of that product.
“None of the ATQs apply to Pandalus jordani, which remains subject to the 20 percent Most Favored Nation tariff currently applied to all U.S.-origin cooked and peeled shrimp and prawn,” the letter states.
The three organizations argue that the U.K.’s 20 percent tariff on all Oregon pink shrimp has squeezed it out of the market. That was due to potentially change thanks to efforts by the ODA, which had worked with U.K. seafood importers and applied to have tariffs suspended on Oregon pink shrimp. That application was accepted and was actively moving through a public process – until it was denied in early 2025, which the organizations speculate may be due to trade talks with the U.S.
“The U.K.’s decision to maintain the steep 20 percent tariff on jordani shrimp remains a significant barrier to Oregon shrimpers’ ability to supply the U.K. market,” the letter states.
The three groups are now urging the USTR and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to reach a trade agreement with the U.K. that would eliminate the current tariffs and bring things in line with the tariffs that U.K. products face when entering the U.S. market.
“As previously noted by the OTC, the disparities in tariffs between the U.S. and the U.K. for the same seafood products directly hurts American fishermen,” the letter states. “It is, therefore, necessary for the administration to address the harm caused by this unfair trade practice by eliminating the current tariff imposed by the U.K. on U.S. coldwater pink shrimp.”
