The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) told IntraFish the US seafood industry is facing job losses, which will cause knock-on effects for businesses and communities beyond the sector, because of the escalating trade war with China.

This comes as China threatens $60 billion (€51.7 billion) worth of tariffs on US products, including smoked salmon and fish oil.

China's latest threat follows two days after US President Donald Trump said his administration would consider raising the rate of tariffs it has already proposed on $200 billion (€172.5 billion) a year of Chinese goods to 25 percent from 10 percent.

In a situation where imported seafood is the lifeblood for many US companies, industry officials are increasingly concerned about the fallout.

"Everyone will say that prices will have to go up or the cost of doing business will escalate, but the bottom line is seafood jobs will suffer from the tariffs," NFI Spokesperson Gavin Gibbons said.

NFI said increasing tariff rates from 10 percent to 25 percent means some businesses, including even those that are non-related but depend on the seafood business, won't survive.

The trade body highlights a number of cases in a series of video interviews on its website rebranded to promote the Seefood, See Jobs campaign aimed at driving home the message to policymakers of the importance of imported seafood to producers, processors and small business owners as they struggle to keep their enterprises running.

"It's the hardware store, the fuel supplier, the coffee shop, it's really a situation that could get dire," Gibbons said.

See one of NFI's Seefood, See Jobs videos here: