Maine

Maine's lobster industry tells one of the most dramatic tariff stories in America. The state's 4,500 licensed lobstermen once shipped 15% of their catch to China, where Maine lobster was a luxury status symbol. China's retaliatory tariffs — which hit 35% — rerouted Chinese buyers to Canadian lobster (which faces no such duties), devastating Maine's most iconic industry. Canadian lobstermen across the border in New Brunswick suddenly had a massive competitive advantage over their American neighbors fishing the same waters. Beyond lobster, Maine's paper and pulp industry — once the state's economic backbone — faces tariffs on imported chemicals and competition from Canadian mills with better trade access. Wild blueberry farmers in Washington County, who grow 99% of US wild blueberries, face retaliatory tariffs in Asian markets. Bath Iron Works builds Navy destroyers using steel subject to 25% tariffs, increasing per-ship costs by millions. Maine's geographic position — sharing a 611-mile border with Canada — makes cross-border trade disruption particularly painful for communities that live and work on both sides.