Seafood Product Preparation & Packaging NAICS 311710

Jul 23, 2025 - Looming Tariff Uncertainty

• The Trump administration in July announced a sweeping 35% tariff on all Canadian goods entering the US, a move that could send shockwaves through the seafood industries on both sides of the border, Seafood News reports. The tariff is slated to take effect on August 1. The 35% tariff marks a significant increase from the 25% levy Trump imposed on Canada earlier this year, which was later rescinded. However, products previously compliant under the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement – negotiated during Trump’s first term – would be exempt from tariffs, which would significantly mitigate the impact of the tariffs on many seafood products. The US seafood industry, notably Maine’s lobster industry, expressed worries over a tariff on Canadian goods earlier this year. Maine’s former Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher said the tariffs could “cripple” the state’s lobster fishery.
• The Alaska Department of Fish and Wildlife (ADF&W) is predicting a significantly bigger salmon harvest this year, after a disappointing catch in 2024, SeafoodSource reports. The total commercial salmon harvest across all regions of Alaska could reach 214.6 million fish, more than double the 103.5 million fish caught in Alaska in 2024. Key to this year’s projection is a much-improved outlook for pink salmon (aka humpback salmon), which is expected to exceed last year’s harvest by 98.2 million fish, according to ADF&W. The department’s forecast predicts the total commercial salmon harvest will comprise 138.4 million pink salmon, 52.9 million sockeye, 20.8 million chum, and 2.4 million coho. If the harvest meets ADF&W projections, it would be the 10th-largest on record. Alaska’s salmon season opened on 22 May, when the Copper River fishery opened.

• In what’s believed to be the first case of forced labor at sea brought against a US seafood company, Indonesian fishermen have sued Bumble Bee Foods alleging the canned seafood giant knew of abuse in its supply chain, Food Manufacturing reports. The lawsuit accuses Bumble Bee of violating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which allows foreigners who suffered from human trafficking to sue US businesses that knew, or should have known, they were profiting from forced labor. Per the lawsuit, which calls for a jury trial, the fisherman worked for longline vessels owned by Chinese companies from which Bumble Bee sourced its albacore tuna. They say they were beaten by their captains and trapped onboard. The suit seeks compensation for unpaid wages and abuse, improved working conditions, and systemic changes to operations. Bumble Bee has previously been warned of inhumane conditions in its supply chain, an attorney for the men said.
• Producer prices for seafood product preparation and packaging manufacturers rose 6.6% in May compared to a year ago, after falling 1.7% in the previous May-versus-May annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Prices for seafood products before they reach consumers have been rising relatively steadily since 2020 and were near record highs in May. Employment by the industry, which is highly seasonal, shrank 13.7% year over year in April, while wages at food manufacturers rose 3.3% YoY in May to $23.98 per hour, BLS data show.