Share

US still sends lots of lobster to China, but tariff a worry

Share

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — America is still sending millions of pounds of lobster to China, but members of the seafood industry remain on edge about the future of the United States’ relationship with one of its most important customers.

The U.S. exported more than 17.6 million pounds (8 million kilograms) of lobster to China last year, according to figures from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The U.S. has nudged beyond that figure through November of this year, even with December’s numbers not yet included, the agency reports.

China is one of the biggest buyers of American lobster, which is hauled to the shore mostly in New England and maritime Canada. But China placed heavy tariffs on lobsters from the U.S. in July in a development that sent shockwaves through the seafood industry.

Members of the industry caution that the U.S. benefited from strong sales early in 2018, and that exports were off by 30 to 50 percent from previous years after the tariffs took effect. But the lobster business has shown an ability to weather a difficult time, said John Sackton, a seafood industry analyst with SeafoodNews.com.

“The overall exports did not fall off a cliff, as I thought they might,” Sackton said. “There was a big push in the first six months to sell product into China.”

There were other positive signs in the lobster industry, too. Lobsters have been readily available to U.S. consumers, and prices have been strong for retails. Wholesale prices in February were also higher than the previous year.

But the tariffs from China have hurt some individual exporters more than others, said Annie Tselikis, executive director of the Maine Lobster Dealers’ Association. The industry as a whole will also “never know how strong those exports” could have been if the tariffs hadn’t been enacted at all.

That reflects what Bill Bruns, operations manager of The Lobster Co. in Arundel, Maine, has seen in his own export business. The tariffs, he said, have shifted export business to Canada, where fishermen catch the same species of lobster.

“With the Chinese tariff, that business trickled,” Bruns said. “They paid sometimes, but not very often.”

Trade hostilities between the U.S. and China have continued since China slapped tariffs on many U.S. products last year. The countries have been attempting to negotiate an end to the trade fight in recent days. The future of the tariffs, and how long they could last, remains unclear for both countries.

Maine’s four-member congressional delegation released a statement Wednesday that it has asked U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer to prioritize the lobster industry in upcoming negotiations. The delegation said it “cannot allow the future viability of this critical industry to be threatened by prolonged and unpredictable trade negotiations with China.”

In the meantime, the U.S. has offset some of the loss by making some progress in opening up other Asian markets, such as Thailand and Taiwan, for American lobster, said Jeff Bennett, senior trade specialist at the Maine International Trade Center in Portland. However, it’s imperative to keep China as a customer, he said.

The country approaches consuming 10 percent of all the lobster brought to shore in the U.S. in some years, including 2016.

“We need to get China back on line,” Bennett said. “Anybody in the industry is going to tell you that.”

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation