BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The cost of your favorite seafood dishes could soon increase as new tariffs on imported seafood begin to impact prices at local grocery stores and companies.
With approximately 80% of seafood consumed in the United States coming from overseas, industry experts say price increases are inevitable and could begin appearing as early as August. They also say many people don't think about where their seafood is coming from.
"It's all over the world, that's the crazy thing, I don't think people realize," explained Jamie Bouchard, the Director of Seafood Merchandising for Tops stores. He's anticipating that the tariffs could have a million-dollar impact on their business.
WATCH: 'I don't think people realize': Seafood tariffs could have a big impact on WNY stores and companies
Ty Pazian owns Sustainable Healthy Seafood in Holland, New York, with his wife Jessica. They sell directly to customers through their storefront and also supply food service distributors and retailers.
"Importing is hands down the largest part of our business - it represents nearly $18 million worth of revenue annually," Pazian said. "Cod, haddock, ocean perch, we do a lot with snow crab, importing from Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, China, Vietnam and Indonesia," he explained.
The tariffs may not only change prices but could also shift where seafood is sourced from. Tops currently sources shrimp from several countries, some facing tariffs of around 20%. Bouchard indicated they're already looking for better deals.
"Ecuador came out at 10% - and everybody in the U.S., as far as retailers, that's all they were talking about," he said. "We all tried to move to Ecuador as fast as possible."
Consumers may see changes reflected in prices soon.
"You're going to start seeing some pricing increases as we move into August; you'll see some of those prices going up," Bouchard said.
Tops stores are currently discussing how to handle these increases, but the company has taken proactive measures by purchasing inventory before the tariffs took effect.
"We invested, I will tell you that," Bouchard said. "Tops invested heavily in the market - to make sure we had some really aggressive prices this past month."
Pazian said he's taken similar steps to mitigate immediate price increases.
"Right now, we're planning for quarter 1 of 2026, so we look really far ahead," Pazian said. "We have a significant amount of storage here. We're able to buy products and bring them into Holland New York before the duties were a factor - can have great prices for customers."
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