How one small business is navigating Trumps on-again, off-again tariffs on Canadian goods [Video]

NEW YORK – At Fishtown Seafood, owner Bryan Szeliga is worried about the oysters.

Szeliga, who operates three retail and wholesale locations in Philadelphia and Haddonfield, N.J., sells a range of seafood. But briny, slurpable oysters are the biggest part of his overall business. And 60% to 70% come from Canada.

The Trump’s administration’s on-again, off-again 25% tariffs on imports from Canada — which went into effect on Tuesday only to be suspended on some items for a month on Thursday — are giving Szeliga whiplash. The flip-flopping is making it tough to plan ahead. And if the tariffs do eventually go into effect, he’ll likely need to raise prices and offer his customers fewer choices of oysters.

“Part of the problem of the ‘chaos and shock and awe’ approach to the negotiation is you can’t actually really business plan based on knowing what is and isn’t actually going to happen,” he said. “That’s a big problem.”

Szeliga started Fishtown Seafood four …