Canada rides tailwinds of US trade war as Chinese lobster demand surges

Beijing’s trade spat with the United States has cleared the path for Canada’s Atlantic lobster exports to take center stage, but whether catches and prices hit the mark remains to be seen for the 2018 season.

Canadian producers have seen exports to China ramp up significantly since China’s 25 percent import tariff was imposed on US lobsters, July 6.

“With the US tariffs our already robust business with China grew dramatically, with high demand during a time of year that we have limited supply,” said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada.