Canada drops US seafood from counter-tariff list after industry feedback

Canada removed fish and seafood from a list of US products facing counter-tariffs, citing feedback from domestic industries, the Finance Department said Thursday.

The revision came one day after Ottawa announced retaliatory duties on about $20 billion worth of US goods in response to tariffs imposed by Washington.

The department said the change was made “to protect against broader economic harms,” without providing further details.

“We are continually working with Canadian industries to assess the effectiveness of these measures, with a primary focus on industries that have been targeted by US tariffs,” it said in a statement on the US social media company X.

Ottawa said it would make other adjustments to ensure that its measures continue to represent a dollar-for-dollar and rate-for-rate response to US tariffs.

Canada’s counter-tariffs are scheduled to take effect on Sept. 8.

Some Canadian seafood processors that import US lobster had raised concerns that the duties would increase their costs, while domestic producers feared the measures could provoke additional US retaliation.

The initial package largely mirrored products covered by roughly $20 billion in US tariffs that took effect Saturday, including pulp and paper products. Fish and seafood, however, were not among the sectors specifically targeted by Washington.