tariffs

Maine’s lobster fishermen braced for a difficult summer this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but then the unexpected happened. They kept catching lobsters, and people kept buying them.

Maine lobstermen will get a share of $530 million in federal relief for the U.S. Seafood industry, which has been hurt by the trade dispute with China. China, at one point, raised tariffs on American lobster to 32 percent, significantly reducing Maine's exports there.

There appears to be further movement in the effort to knock back Chinese tariffs on American lobster.

Maine's Congressional delegation is asking the Trump administration for proof that its recent trade deal with China will actually make a difference for Maine's lobstermen.

PORTLAND, Maine — U.S. lobster exports to China have fallen off a cliff this year as new retaliatory tariffs shift the seafood business farther north.

Maine agriculture officials are asking the federal government to help out wild blueberry growers as they deal with the effects of rising trade disputes with foreign countries.

With trade tensions escalating between the United States and China and a growing economic toll on Maine businesses — particularly lobster dealers — Gov. Janet Mills is emphasizing international trade as a vital part of the state's future.