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Figures published by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) through the end of July show the extent to which lobster US exports to China have taken a battering, amid the more than year-long trade dispute between the countries.

Exports were down 82 percent by volume and 79 percent by value in the first seven months of the year.

Since US President Donald Trump opted to take action a year ago to redress what he cited as unfair Chinese dealings in breaching his country's intellectual property rights and a massive imbalance in trade with China, the trade war has escalated, sucking in various non-related industries, including seafood.

Hampered by tariffs, US lobster producers have been seeking out new and emerging markets outside of China for their products.

The trade war escalated from both ends on Sept. 1 as the United States tallied 15 percent duties on about $112 billion (€102.1 billion) worth of products imported from China as part of a plan announced previously to impose tariffs on Chinese goods worth $300 billion (€273.5 billion).

As part of its retaliation measures, the Chinese government hit back increasing duties by 5 percent on yellow soybeans and 10 percent on frozen lobster and shrimp.