Two of Alaska’s leading seafood trade groups are urging the federal government to back off aggressive trade policies, warning that new tariffs could trigger international retaliation and deepen the state’s seafood industry crisis.
The At-Sea Processors Association and the Pacific Seafood Processors Association sent a letter on March 11 to the U.S. trade representative, a cabinet-level official in the Trump administration, which said the industry is already under pressure from foreign tariffs and what they call unfair competition from overseas producers.
The groups argue that new tariffs imposed by the U.S. could prompt the European Union or nations like China or Japan to strike back, which could further strain Alaska seafood exports.
At-Sea Processors Association CEO Matt Tinning said in an interview that retaliatory tariffs could jeopardize the industry, which relies heavily on trade.
“We really do live and die by fair access to those export markets,” he said.
The trade group represents most of the large catcher-processor vessels that fish pollock in the Bering Sea — a major segment of the state’s commercial seafood industry.
Tinning said U.S. producers face mounting challenges from Russian seafood, which has flooded global markets in recent years.
“We face unfair competition in global markets,” he said. “Unfair competition from low-cost producers who aren’t held to appropriate labor and environmental standards. In the seafood space, the worst offender is Russia.”
While the Biden administration closed a loophole that allowed Russian fish into the U.S., American producers still struggle to compete overseas.
Existing tariffs are part of that struggle. During the 2018 trade war with China, China imposed varying degrees of tariffs on American seafood, reaching as high as 35%. The tax stabilized at 30% until this month, when China announced an additional 10% in response to the new tariffs Trump announced March 4.
The European Union, one of Alaska's biggest export markets, also continues to levy tariffs from the previous trade conflict, even as its own products enter the U.S. duty-free.
The At-Sea Processors Association said it isn’t necessarily opposed to reciprocal tariffs, but warned that Alaska’s seafood sector is particularly vulnerable. About two-thirds of the state’s seafood production is exported, and processors fear any retaliation could further erode their competitiveness.
The groups also raised concerns about European labeling rules, which allow pollock caught and processed in Russia or China to be sold as “Alaska pollock.” While technically a species name, U.S. producers argue the label misleads consumers and damages the brand identity of wild Alaska seafood.
In their letter, the groups said the combination of foreign tariffs, labeling confusion and global overproduction has left the industry in a fragile position. If retaliatory tariffs target U.S. seafood, they warned it could “bring about an end to the economic lifeblood we provide to rural communities across Alaska.”
