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Maine, Alaska net relief as Canada drops fish tariffs
Canada removes planned duties on C$1.1 billion of U.S. seafood products after industry feedback
A lobsterman unloads freshly caught lobsters at a processing dock in Stonington, Maine. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)
Key Takeaways:
- Canada on Aug. 26 removed planned tariffs on about C$1.1 billion in U.S. fish and seafood products after feedback from its fish industry.
- The change sharply reduced tariff exposure for Maine and Alaska exports, easing pressure on fishing industries in two competitive Senate battleground states.
- Canada added tariffs on about C$1 billion of other U.S. imports, and lawmakers urged renewed U.S.-Canada negotiations to resolve the trade dispute.
Canada canceled planned tariffs on about C$1.1 billion of American fish and seafood products, a break for Maine and Alaska, both major fish exporters and key states in the midterm battle for control of the Senate.
The changes were announced Aug. 26 after feedback from the Canadian fish industry, Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney promised a “dollar-for-dollar” response to new tariffs imposed by the White House covering roughly $20 billion of goods. Canada’s initial list of retaliatory tariffs, which targeted roughly $20 billion of American products, including a long list of fish and seafood items.
Maine would have been the most vulnerable state to those duties: 34% of its exports to Canada would have been affected. Now that figure will drop to 12%, according to Bloomberg News calculations.
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“I very much appreciate Canada’s decision to remove seafood and fish products from its retaliatory tariff list. These tariffs would have caused tremendous harm to Maine’s lobstermen,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a social media post. “I urge the U.S. to respond to this show of good faith from our Canadian friends by returning to the negotiating table and working to amicably resolve this trade dispute.”
Collins’ seat is one of the most competitive races in the November midterm elections, in which President Donald Trump’s Republicans are trying to keep control of the chamber.
Democrats need to pick up four Senate seats to take the majority, which would give them the ability to block Trump’s judicial and executive nominations and otherwise provide a check on the administration. Democratic candidates across the country have repeatedly criticized Republicans in Congress for failing to provide a stiff enough check against the Trump administration’s trade and tariff agenda, especially against long-standing U.S. allies.
“Susan Collins has completely failed to stop him,” her Democratic opponent, Troy Jackson, said in a social media post. “As always, she’s got concerns about what these broad new tariffs will do to Maine, but she’s got no action.”
Alaska also has a Senate seat up for grabs, where Republican Dan Sullivan is defending against former congresswoman Mary Peltola, whose campaign is anchored in part on issues related to fishing. The change means that less than 1% of its exports to Canada will face tariffs, down from 20% based on the initial tariff list, dropping it to the least exposed of all 50 U.S. states, according to Bloomberg calculations.
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In replacement for removing fish and seafood products, new tariffs on U.S. copper wire, wood charcoal and several other items — covering C$1 billion of imports into Canada — were added to the list by the Canadian finance ministry.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, has called the trade war with Canada “foolish,” writing on X that it would “create more uncertainty for Maine businesses, push costs even higher for Maine families, and further strain our bond with our closest trading partner.”
