Canadian lobster exports to China soar as tariffs sink U.S. sales

China is awash in Canadian lobsters as exports from the East Coast soar to fill the gap left by Beijing's retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.

China, a huge and growing customer for lobster, placed heavy tariffs on U.S. lobsters -- and many other food products -- in July 2018 amid rising trade hostilities between the Chinese and the Trump administration.

Meanwhile, business is booming in Canada, where cargo planes are coming to Halifax and Moncton, N.B., to handle a growing bump in exports. Canadian fishermen catch the same species of lobster as American lobstermen, who are based mostly in Maine.

The loss of business has brought layoffs to some Maine businesses, such as The Lobster Co., of Arundel, where owner Stephanie Nadeau has laid off half the 14 people she once had working in wholesale.

"They picked winners, and they picked losers, and they picked me a loser," Nadeau said. "There is no market that's going to replace China."

The value of Canada's exports was nearing USUS$200 million through June and was almost sure to outstrip last year's total of more than USUS$223 million. America's exports through June were valued at less than USUS$19 million, more than USUS$70 million behind where they were through June 2018.