Coalition forms to push back on US shrimp tariffs

A newly formed industry group is gearing up to lobby against tariff measures on shrimp, according to a statement from the group, the US Shrimp Coalition.

The coalition's launch follows a decision last week by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) to impose fresh duties on goods from more than 80 countries, part of a broader Section 301 investigation into forced labor practices tied to imported products, including shrimp. The move adds to a wave of tariffs the Trump administration has rolled out this year aimed at shielding the domestic shrimping industry from foreign competition.

The coalition describes itself as a broad-based alliance spanning importers, processors, retailers, restaurant operators and other supply chain participants united around preserving affordable access to shrimp in the US market.

Under the new measures, additional 10% tariffs will apply to shrimp imports from India, Ecuador, Indonesia, Argentina, Mexico and Canada, while certain imported goods from Vietnam, Thailand, Peru and China, including shrimp, will face additional duties of 12.5%, according to the USTR.

For India, the agency reduced an initially proposed 12.5% duty to 10% after determining that, following the investigation's start, the government had adopted laws prohibiting the importation of goods produced by forced labor.

The USTR also rejected requests from importers to exempt seafood products from the new duties despite arguments that the US seafood industry cannot meet all domestic demand and that the market remains dependent on imports, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance.

The US shrimp industry welcomed the tariff decision, saying the measures would affect all major suppliers to the US market. The Southern Shrimp Alliance described the action as a win for domestic producers and praised the efforts of US President Donald Trump's administration to address unfair trade practices and forced labor concerns in overseas supply chains.

"The American shrimp industry is thankful for President Trump's and Ambassador Greer's commitment to combatting unfair trade practices in all of its forms," SSA Executive Director Blake Price said, referring to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. "With India's adoption of a prohibition on the importation of goods produced through forced labor, the Section 301 action on forced labor has already proven that access to our market can be leveraged to improve conditions overseas."

Taking a different view, US Shrimp Coalition Executive Director Josh Zive framed the coalition's mission around consumer costs and supply security, arguing that shrimp imports affect household budgets and employment across the supply chain, not just trade balances.

Among the coalition's members is the National Fisheries Institute, which contends that domestic and imported shrimp serve complementary functions in meeting US demand. Domestic catch remains seasonal and limited in volume, while imports fill gaps year-round and support roughly half a million jobs tied to the broader supply chain, the group said Aug. 3.

The National Retail Federation, also a member, argued that tariff hikes and import curbs tend to translate directly into higher shelf prices for shoppers.

The group's formation adds a new voice to an increasingly contentious debate over trade policy's role in seafood pricing, as tariff actions continue to reshape sourcing decisions across the US import market.

Platts assessed peeled, deveined, tail-on 16-20 count shrimp at $4.19/lb CIF New York Aug. 4, unchanged from the previous assessment.