‘Nail in the coffin’: Maryland oyster farm says Canada tariffs could kill export deal
BALTIMORE —
A Maryland oyster farm is facing challenges as Canada imposes new tariffs on U.S. seafood and other goods, complicating a potential export deal.
For several months, True Chesapeake, which has a restaurant in Baltimore and an oyster farm in southern Maryland, has been working on a deal with Canadian distributor, Seafoodia, to export oysters to Canada.
However, the imposition of tariffs has made the agreement more difficult.
“Right now, it is a wait-and-see,” said Patrick Hudson, managing partner of True Chesapeake. “With seafood pricing, the margins are razor thin, and so when you are talking about 25% or 50% tariffs, that is the nail in the coffin for a potential deal.”
Canada is imposing a 25% tariff on exported oysters and other seafood as part of its countermeasures to U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports.
Hudson expressed concern about the potential impact on his business.
“We were thinking about expanding our production and giving raises to our employees and providing healthcare and benefits,” said Hudson. “We need to increase our volume, and buyers like Seafoodia in Canada are perfect candidates for increasing our volume. Canadians love oysters, and here in Maryland, we have the best oysters in the world, so if we are forced to miss out on this opportunity to export our oysters to Canada, that would be a major bummer and a major setback.”
The trade dispute extends beyond seafood.
Canada is also placing tariffs on U.S. exports such as steel, aluminum, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, electronics, and more.
In 2025, Maryland exported $2.2 billion in goods to Canada.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture shared Maryland’s 10 main agricultural exports to Canada from 2025:
Furniture, bedding, mattresses, luminaries, light fittings, prefabricated (considered ag due to the materials used in these products) – $51,829,092Miscellaneous edible preps (this includes items like baking powders, flour, yeast, sauces, etc.) – $42,949,473Essential oils and resinoids, perfumery, cosmetics, toilet preparations – $36,619,614Coffee, tea, spices – $23,852,250Wood and articles of wood, wood charcoal – $12,490,973Fats from animals and vegetables – $9,858,656Cereal, flour, starch – $9,828,759Oil seed – $8,563,642Edible vegetables – $7,659,809Fish, crustaceans, other seafood – $6,420,691
Hudson is hopeful that the U.S. and Canada can resolve the trade dispute, allowing his deal to move forward and sparing the seafood industry from further challenges.
“Seafood producers have struggled a lot over the last five years, from the pandemic just completely decimating the structure of the seafood industry to the inflation that we’ve seen over the last few years that has costs rising so drastically,” Hudson said. “This latest threat of tariffs between the U.S. and Canada is just the last thing that we need.”
Canada’s counter tariffs are set to take effect on September 8.