Despite China Tariff, Reason
for Optimism

Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative’s executive director, Matt Jacobson, said that, despite China’s new 25% tariff on U.S. lobster imports, he’s optimistic.

“It’s important to remember that no lobster went to China five years ago,” he said. “It’s a growing market. And we’d love to have all the markets we can. But that said, this is not the end of the world for the lobster industry. There are a lot of consumers around the world who like our boat-to-table story. So we’re confident about demand around the world, and in China as well. Someone is going to buy every lobster caught this year.”

MLMC started out with a strategy to increase the North American market. “There’s still a lot of work to be done in the U.S.,” he said. “So I’m optimistic.”