“It’s one thing to tariff a car. It’s another thing to tariff a food supply that people rely on.”
By Mitch Fink / Boston University Statehouse Program
This story was originally published in The New Bedford Light, a publication partner of Ocean State Stories.
FAIRHAVEN, Mass. — Like hundreds of other oyster farmers across coastal Massachusetts, Dale Leavitt is in a bind.
The co-owner of West Island Oysters, a retailer and wholesaler in Fairhaven, is facing the threat of rising operating costs under President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which could drive up prices for internationally made nets, cages, traps and other equipment.
In his first 100 days in office, Trump has levied significant “reciprocal” tariffs on several countries, including on exports from Canada, the European Union and China.
Like many in the industry, Leavitt said he would be reluctant to raise his prices to offset those potential increases. Although local aquaculturists say oysters are as popular as ever, passing on the cost could drive customers away.
“With a soft market, we can’t try to transfer those added expenses to the customer,” said Leavitt. “They’d just stop buying oysters.”
As a result, many shellfish farmers like Leavitt may be forced to absorb the added costs themselves. Leavitt, for instance, said he’s bracing for a “profound effect on our bottom line,” which could cause him to freeze hiring.
While shellfish cultivation has always been a part of Massachusetts life, the industry only began to grow in the 1970s with the development of more efficient hatcheries. Since that time, marine aquaculture has grown to nearly 400 private shellfish farms and 29 municipal propagation programs within 37 coastal towns.
Many parts of the aquacultural supply chain could be impacted by tariffs, but oyster farmers are most concerned about likely increases in aquaculture gear. Much of the wire and metal used in oyster-catching netting and traps is produced in Canada, a primary target of the tariffs.
Even when U.S. companies assemble the gear, tariffs on raw materials will drive up prices. Oyster farmers are preparing to shoulder the burden.
Dan Martino, co-owner of Cottage City Oysters in Martha’s Vineyard, said he’s been warned of increased prices by Ketcham Supply Co., a New Bedford-based company that sells gear to oyster farmers across the region.
Leavitt called it a “huge issue,” though the longtime oysterman noted it’s just “one of many” problems facing the industry amid the ongoing global trade war.
The cost of boats — necessities for both fishers and aquaculturists — has also been impacted. Seth Garfield, the co-owner of Cuttyhunk Oysters on Cuttyhunk Island, referenced one cautionary tale he heard from a Rhode Island aquaculturist.
The aquaculturist bought a boat built in Canada for $85,000. By the time it arrived in Rhode Island, tariffs had inflated the price to $110,000 — an extra $25,000 he hadn’t budgeted for.
All of it has left the region’s aquaculturists in uncharted waters. The COVID-19 pandemic posed serious challenges to the industry, as did the 2008 recession. But Leavitt, Garfield and Martino all agreed they’ve never seen a single federal policy impact their business as Trump’s tariffs have.
“It’s a pretty big deal,” said Martino. “Ideally, aquaculture materials should be included in the list of items that are not tariffed … It’s one thing to tariff a car. It’s another thing to tariff a food supply that people rely on.”
The concerns extend to food growers across the state — in aquaculture and agriculture alike.
Abby Ferla, manager of Foxtrot Farm in Franklin County, said farmers in Massachusetts are “holding [their] breath” as they monitor the potential impact of tariffs on their supply chains.
Ferla, who grows organic botanical herbs and climate-resilient plants at Foxtrot, said much of the glass and plastic she uses is imported, which could spike her operating costs. She added that many fertilizers and mulches come from outside of the U.S., which is another concern.
But with the growing season not in full swing until June, Ferla said she and other farmers are unsure of how the impacts will play out.
“It doesn’t seem like anyone knows what’s going to happen,” said Ferla. “The uncertainty is very stressful for me and the other farmers I know.”
Claire Morenon, the communications director at Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture in South Deerfield, backed that sentiment.
“The rollout of the tariffs has been pretty chaotic and have changed day to day since the Trump administration has started announcing them,” Morenon said. “I think the first impact has been just a lot of uncertainty.”
Morenon did say she has found “reason to anticipate negative impacts” for Massachusetts agriculture, which consists of 7.083 small and midsize farms on 464,451 acres, largely in the central and western part of the state. The industry has an annual market value of over $607 million in goods, with the average farm producing $85,721 worth of products on 66 acres.
Sarah Gardner, an environmental studies professor at Williams College and chair of the Williamstown Agricultural Commission, pointed to the dairy industry, one of the largest and most valuable agricultural sectors in the state, as a prime example.
Most of the dairy farms in Massachusetts are commodity operations, which send their milk off to larger co-ops, such as Dairy Farmers of America in Marlborough and Agri-Mark in Andover.
Those co-ops process the dairy and export various products domestically and internationally, including large shipments of dry milk powder to China, which has imposed retaliatory tariffs on imports from the U.S.
As a result, Gardner said smaller dairy farmers could be saddled with increased costs. To make matters worse, those farmers will not be able to pass along the cost to consumers because they receive a set amount of money from the co-ops they contribute to.
“When your price is controlled by the federal government, as it is for dairy, you’re stuck,” said Gardner. “It was very difficult to make a living as a farmer before the tariffs came in, and it’s going to be that much more difficult now. And it’s going to drive farms out of business.”
While facing many of those same burdens, aquaculture faces the additional challenge of being a much younger industry than agricultural practices like dairy or vegetable farming. Accordingly, academic research on the most efficient and effective farming practices is critical to the growth of the industry, according to Leavitt.
But strained costs from tariffs, plus Trump’s planned cuts to federal research grant programs, could put that research in jeopardy.
“With a decline and stopping of things such as USDA Aquaculture Grants or NOAA Sea Grants that are directed at improving our production and trying to improve on our efficiency and our business management, we’re going to be basically static until this all goes away,” Leavitt said. “Hopefully in another 3½ years.”
Scott Soares, owner of the Padanaram Oyster Farm in South Dartmouth and former state director of U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development during the Obama and Biden administrations, said he’s trying to remain optimistic by viewing potential positives.
Increased tariffs on Canadian oysters could help local growers down the line, according to Soares, although he said it’s hard to predict how the future will play out.
It really remains to be seen,” said Soares. “I’m an optimist by nature, and I’m just hopeful it doesn’t negatively influence the market too much to the point where we start to lose the growth we’ve seen over the past decade.”
Many growers, though, see no upside at all.
“There’s a whole bunch of different ways that we’re going to be impacted,” Leavitt said. “None of them good.”
