Tariff tension felt by southwestern Ontario fisheries

Matthew Trevithick · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Southwestern Ontario's commercialized sportfishing manufacture is feeling the unit of looming U.S. tariffs expected connected April 2 connected each Canadian goods.

That includes food caught and processed successful Ontario, a immense bulk of which comes from Lake Erie and is exported southbound of the border.

A 25 per cent tariff connected Ontario food would woody a important stroke to the region's commercialized fisheries and processors, said Vito Figliomeni, enforcement manager of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries' Association (OCFA). 

"First off, you're going to person a batch of inward cost-cutting, right? I ideate layoffs, things of that nature," helium said.

"U.S. consumers won't beryllium capable to bargain our goods astatine higher levels, they'll find alternate proteins to bargain that are cheaper, and we volition decidedly struggle."

It's a interest Matt McTaggart has been proceeding from the fishermen helium works with. 

McTaggart's company, St. Thomas-based Steelhead Food Co., processes food caught by commercialized boats successful Lake Erie and Lake Huron, including pickerel, whitefish, and yellowish and achromatic perch. The steadfast besides packs the food and sells it, which includes exportation to the U.S.

"We've told our fishermen ... 'no worries,' you know. We enactment hard connected getting each the food sold, keeping the vessel prices wherever they're at," helium said. 

Like everyone else, fishermen person already seen their margins eaten distant by inflation, raising the outgo of operational necessities, specified arsenic netting, helium said. 

"It's up to america to negociate and enactment with U.S. customers and explicate to them that, 'Hey, these tariffs are simply a taxation that your authorities has enactment onto you, and we conscionable person to adhd them on. There is nary country to suck up immoderate of these.'"

Canadian seafood exported to China worthy $1.3B

On Thursday, a caller interest arrived successful the signifier of Chinese tariffs connected Canadian seafood — retaliation for Canada's 100 per cent tariffs connected Chinese-made electrical vehicles, and 25 per cent connected alloy and aluminum.

Around 19 per cent of Canadian seafood, astir $1.3 cardinal worth, gets exported to China, mostly from the Maritimes including lobster, crab and shrimp. Another 64 per cent goes to the United States, three-quarters of which are lobster, crab and salmon, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said.

That means astatine slightest 83 per cent of seafood exported by Canada volition beryllium tariffed arsenic of April 2, with the Maritimes deed the hardest.

Most food produced by Ontario commercialized fisheries, 80 per cent, goes stateside, and small of it goes to China, truthful those tariffs won't person a important interaction connected the astir 100 producers OCFA represents, Figliomeni said.

However, helium worries if U.S. tariffs unit Ontario fisheries to merchantability much merchandise astatine home, a glut connected the marketplace could thrust prices and revenue down. The aforesaid could besides hap arsenic those successful the Maritimes marque up for mislaid income to China and the U.S.

"Freshwater food producers already person capable situation moving products into Canadian markets without competition, fto unsocial with contention from the eastbound and westbound coasts," helium said.

McTaggart says helium saw the anxiousness of eastbound seashore producers up adjacent astatine the caller Seafood Expo North America successful Boston. 

"They're truly hoping we tin determination a batch much eastbound seashore seafood locally successful Ontario. I had offerings for 10 lb [4.54 kg] boxes of unrecorded snowfall crab. They're precise frightened of what's happening," helium said.

It's besides a interest to Ontario food farmers, who merchantability astir of their merchandise successful Canada, said RJ Taylor, managing manager of the Ontario Aquaculture Association and co-owner of Springhills Fish successful Hanover.

"We don't export a batch of Ontario trout and steelhead, [but] other trout and salmon producers crossed Canada do. If they don't person a market, they person to find a mode to merchantability it astatine home," helium said.

"They're antithetic food species, but astatine the market store ... [shoppers] can substitute either or based connected terms and prime and availability."

Although anxious astir tariff-related marketplace interruptions, and longer-term proviso concatenation interruptions and inflation, determination is inactive optimism successful the question of 'buy Canada' patriotism that has bloomed crossed the country, helium said.

"We're getting a batch much inquiries for radical taking the clip to recognize wherever their seafood is coming from, and trying to marque Canadian-sourced decisions," helium said. 

For OCFA, the absorption close present is gathering a selling strategy astir supporting section and buying Canadian, Figliomeni said, adding that much enactment is needed.

"We request assistance from the authorities successful trying to research different markets similar successful Europe," helium said. "We request to physique amended trading partnerships with Europe, I deliberation close now, that's for sure."

LISTEN: How Ontario fisheries are preparing for tariffs