Tariffs have caused 'chaos, confusion' for Nova Scotia's seafood sector

Nova Scotians in the seafood industry are used to dealing with uncertainty, whether it's rough seas, the ebb and flow of market prices or rising costs — but the provincial fisheries minister says the current tariff dispute with the United States has caused a previously unknown level of upheaval. 

Kent Smith asked a staffer to connect with industry players this week to find out how they were coping with the prospect of U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariffs.

"A common theme across the board was uncertainty, chaos, confusion, not necessarily understanding how to pay, who to pay," Smith told reporters Thursday at Province House. "There was a lot of chaos."

Speaking before the latest pause on 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports, Smith said it was imperative for the industry to find markets other than the U.S., and that search would take him and industry representatives south of the border later this month for the Boston Seafood Expo.

"I appreciate the irony, yes, but we need to connect our exporters with importers," said Smith. "It just so happens that this international seafood show takes place in Boston, and that's where the buyers and importers will be from all over the world. We'll be doing everything that we can to connect our exporters with international buyers."

N.S. sent over $1B worth of seafood to U.S. in 2024

Nova Scotia is Canada's top seafood exporter, sending $1.23 billion worth to the U.S. in 2024. For comparison, $614 million worth was exported to China last year and another $241 million to the European Union.

Smith said he's hoping that local companies will be able to, at the very least, make new connections ahead of the world's largest seafood show in Spain later this spring.

"I've heard that a lot of relationships get initiated in Boston and then by the time we get to Barcelona in May, we get some deals done, and some product actually moving from one place to another," he said.

Premier Tim Houston told reporters, before Washington announced the latest "pause" on some but not all tariffs, that temporary measures were not the least bit helpful or appreciated.

"The one month, one month, one month, it's incredibly mean-spirited," said Houston. "We can't live for four years, one month at a time.

"So I'm hopeful that the tariffs come off and the president realizes the damage he'll do to the American economy and the Canadian economy."

'We'll get through it,' N.S. fisheries minister says

Smith tried to put a brave face on what has been an incredibly disruptive few weeks for the seafood industry.

"Crises are not foreign for our province to deal with," said Smith. "This one is causing a lot of uncertainty.

"We'll get through it."