Fish exports have come to a halt. This Thursday (10), just one day after President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on Brazilian products, 58 refrigerated containers loaded with around 1,000 tons of fish were prevented from being shipped to the United States.
The information was confirmed to Folha by the Brazilian Association of Fish Industry, which represents the sector both domestically and abroad. These containers are spread across ports such as Salvador (BA), Pecém (CE), and Suape (PE).
“The truth is the sector is in despair, because exports have completely stopped, and things are only going to get worse,” said the association’s president, Eduardo Lobo Naslavsky, to Folha.
According to Naslavsky, the orders haven’t been canceled but rather the shipments have been suspended, since U.S. importers currently have no clear idea of how much they will be paying for the product.
The average shipping time to the United States is 20 days, which makes new shipments unfeasible, as importers are unwilling to take on the new tariff costs.
Brazil’s fishing industry moves about R$ 20 billion per year, of which nearly US$ 600 million are tied to exports. Of that total, between 70% and 80% are destined for the United States.
