Some in seafood industry see Trump as fishermen’s friend, but tariffs could make for pricier fish

PORTLAND, Maine — The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump will likely bring big changes to one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy — seafood — and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs.

Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture because they fear Trump’s in anticipation of trade hostilities with major trading partners Canada and China could make an already pricey type of protein more expensive for consumers. Conservationists also fear Trump’s emphasis on government deregulation could endanger fish stocks that are already at risk.

But many in the commercial fishing and seafood processing industries said they are excited about Trump’s second presidency. They said they expect him to allow fishing in protected areas as he did during his first presidency, to crack down on offshore wind expansion and to roll back regulations they describe as burdensome. And they expect a clear shift from President Joe Biden’s administration prioritized ocean conservation And advocated wind energy from the beginning.

The fishing industry is not hungry for it a new tariff warthat hurt fishermen during Trump’s first term, said Beth Casoni, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association. But she said the new Trump administration has a unique opportunity to throw its support behind American fishermen.

“I think we need to focus on feeding Americans,” Casoni said. “I think the America First administration will make this point loud and clear. Know where your food comes from.”

But the seafood industry, which is international in nature, could be seriously disrupted if Trump goes ahead with a plan to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada, says John Sackton, longtime industry analyst and founder from Seafood News. . Canada is the largest seafood market for the U.S., both in terms of imports and exports, and nearly a sixth of U.S. imported seafood comes from its northern neighbor, according to federal statistics released in November. In total, about 80% of the seafood consumed in the US is imported.

The loss of Canada — a particularly important buyer of U.S. lobster — as a market for U.S. seafood could cause prices to collapse for fishermen, Sackton said. And some products could become unavailable, while others become more expensive and others become oversupplied, he said. He described the fishing industry as “interdependent on both sides of the border.”

In Canada, members of the country’s seafood industry are watching closely to see what changes Trump ushers in, said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“A potential trade war will cost everyone more (in Canada and the U.S.) and damage the seafood aisle in Canada and the United States,” Irvine said via email. “We are working with allies in Canada and the US to send this message to all governments.”

One of the most important changes for fishermen under the new Trump administration is that they can expect to have a seat at the table when high-level decisions are made, representatives of several commercial fishing groups said. The last time, Trump sat down with fishermen and listened to their concerns about the loss of fishing rights in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a nearly 8,000-square-mile protected area off the New England coast, said Robert Vanasse, executive director of industry advocacy group Saving Seafood.

That goodwill will likely carry over into Trump’s new presidency. And the industry believes it has already scored a victory with the election of a president who is an outspoken critic of offshore wind energy, said Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney representing the New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Sustainable Scalloping Fund. Fishermen of valuable seafood such as scallops and lobsters have long opposed the development of offshore wind energy, fearing that wind energy would disrupt key fishing grounds.

“There is excitement in the industry that offshore wind will basically be limited to the existing footprint and nothing beyond that,” Minkiewicz said.

Others in the industry said they are concerned about how Trump will handle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency that regulates fishing. The assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, currently Biden appointee Rick Spinrad, will be one of Trump’s key appointees. Trump has had three different administrators in office during his first term.

The sector has recently faced major recent crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and trade hostilities with another most important trading partner in Russia, and is in no position to withstand unstable leadership, said Noah Oppenheim, coordinator of the Fishing Communities Coalition, which represents small-scale commercial fishing groups.

“The Fishing Communities Coalition has always been deeply concerned that any government shift from emphasis on fisheries management to conservation and accountability will cause serious, lasting damage to the industry,” Oppenheim said.

Conservation groups who have been pushing stricter speed rules for ships and new fishing standards, such as new fishing gear less likely to harm whalessaid they are also waiting to see what direction Trump will take on fisheries and ocean policy. They said they are hopeful that the progress made under Biden can survive a second Trump presidency.

“It would be extremely shortsighted for the new administration to ignore the science and usher in a free fishery that will only harm fisheries – and healthy oceans – in the long term,” said Jane Davenport, a senior attorney at Defenders of the wild.

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This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.