Pacific salmon fillets have been removed from the list of products from China on which tariffs will apply by the U.S. government.
A notice published in the Federal Register, the official journal covering decisions made by the U.S. government, details the removal of two subheadings of goods – 3040.81.10 and 0304.81.50 – listed under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Those subheadings cover Pacific salmon “Skinned, whether or not divided into pieces, and frozen into blocks each weighing over 4.5 kg, imported to be minced, ground or cut into pieces of uniform weights and dimensions” and “other frozen salmon fillets.”
These frozen salmon fillets join both Alaskan pollock and Alaskan cod in being exempt from the 10 percent tariffs that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump imposed on Chinese imports, effective 24 September. The tariffs will rise to 25 percent beginning 1 January of next year. Russian salmon, cod, and pollock that is processed by China will also be exempt from tariffs.
The amendment went into effect on 1 October, but is retroactive to 24 September; those who were assessed duties on now-exempt items can request a refund, according to the Federal Register.
The removal of the two subheadings were made “In order to account fully for the extensive public comments and testimony previously provided,” according to the announcement. In 2017, the United States imported USD 221.9 million (EUR 192.3 million) worth of frozen Pacific salmon filets from China. The vast majority of that total was U.S.-caught salmon shipped to China to be processed for a small portion of the amount it would cost to do so in the United States, given the fact that Chinese labor is significantly cheaper.
In the past few months, the Alaskan seafood industry spent a great deal of time and money lobbying Washington for the trade war not to be escalated, saying it would curb China’s taste for Alaskan seafood like crab and salmon. When it became clear that the Trump administration would institute a new round of tariffs in September, the industry tacked to preventing the state’s most important seafood exports from being affected. Initially, the administration planned to add tariffs on frozen cod and pollock but lobbying efforts by industry leaders successfully kept those items off the final list.
Photo courtesy of Dalian Fugu Seafood Co.
