After Objections, Canada Exempts Seafood From Tariffs

Canada has yanked seafood out of its escalating trade fight with the US. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson on Wednesday said the government has revised its planned counter-tariff list, dropping all seafood and fish products ahead of 25% levies that were to kick in Sept. 8, Politico reports. The reversal follows pushback from a tightly linked, $5 billion cross-border industry that said it was blindsided and vulnerable, with Maine lobsters routinely processed in Canada before heading back south.

On a tense stakeholder call, Canadian officials faced repeated questions about why the sector was targeted and what they would do if President Trump hit Canadian seafood with new tariffs. Officials promised follow-up talks and pointed to relief measures, including remission payments and enhanced income support for affected workers. "Keeping seafood tariff-free protects our shared supply chain and avoids unnecessary economic harm on both sides of the border," the chief of the Maine Lobstermen's Association said Thursday in a statement, per the Hill.