Seafood is one of Canada’s major global exports, coming in at a value of around $8.5 billion annually. The country also imports about $1 billion worth from the United States, 40 per cent of that is lobster. “We buy about $400 million worth, give or take, of U.S. lobster every year to process in our processing plants in eastern Canada when there’s not a lot of harvesting here. We augment the raw material from us,” says Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada. He says essentially, the U.S. sends over its catch to Canadian processing plants where it’s turned into a number of products, then shipped back for them to sell. All of it will be subject to Canadian tariffs as of Sept. 8. “Our biggest concern is any counter-tariffs against Canadian seafood,” Irvine says. The uncertainty with our traditional trading partner is forcing the seafood industry to look elsewhere for buyers, but it’s hard to replace the American sales. The managing director at the Tangier Lobster Company says they stopped shipping to the U.S. after the COVID-19 pandemic because of logistical issues with getting the catch there on time. “The European market has a huge respect for Canadian seafood, generally and Nova Scotia lobster in particular. So, we have key clients in Belgium, in Holland,” Stewart Lamont says. Non-stop cargo flights also make Asia an attractive partner. “We can ship to China in 38 to 44 hours. Korean Airlines has direct connections to Inchon, South Korea from Halifax and then easy connections from there,” he says. That’s why a number of Maritime companies are heading out on trade missions to Asia over the next few months. While it’s good news that seafood markets are expanding across Europe and Asia, the United States still remains Canada’s top customer. Irvine says 2025 was a record year for sales to the U.S. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
