时代周刊:缅因州龙虾产业陷入疫情危机(2)（在线收听）

But this year national politics has come to Maine,

然而今年，缅因州登上了国家政治的舞台，

where one of Congress's toughest races is playing out ahead of Nov. 3.

11月3日之前，国会最艰难的竞选活动之一就将在这里上演。

Republican Senator Susan Collins is locked in a tight contest with her opponent, Democrat Sara Gideon.

共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯与她的对手、民主党人萨拉·吉迪恩展开了激烈的竞争。

With control of the Senate at stake,

参议院的控制权岌岌可危，

one of the nation's least populous states has assumed outsize political importance—and so have its lobsters.

（缅因州）这个全国人口最少的州之一便承担着超乎寻常的政治重要性——其龙虾也是如此。

On June 5, Trump visited the city of Bangor and threatened to slap a new tariff on European cars

6月5日，特朗普访问了班戈市，并威胁称，他将对欧洲汽车加征新的关税，

if the Europeans didn't immediately eliminate theirs on U.S. lobsters.

如若欧洲人不立即取消对美国龙虾的关税的话。

On June 24, he ordered the Agriculture Department to offer the lobster industry a bailout like those given to farmers caught in his trade war with China.

6月24日，他命令农业部像救助陷入他与中国的贸易战的农民一样向龙虾行业提供救助。

So far, those efforts only appear to have validated decades of local skepticism about Washington.

到目前为止，这些努力似乎恰好佐证了当地对华盛顿长达数十年的怀疑。

Not only have Maine's lobster sales plummeted,

伍德曼表示，不仅缅因州的龙虾销量已经直线下降，

keeping a lobster business running has become harder as Trump's tariff wars have escalated, says Woodman.

随着特朗普关税战升级，维持龙虾业务的运营也已变得更加困难。

Bait and fuel have become more expensive, he says,

他表示，和数字水温计和卫星技术一样，

as have digital water thermometers and satellite technology.

饵料和燃料的费用也已上涨。

Lobster pots, now made of steel instead of wood, cost $70 to $90 each,

捕龙虾的网，如今已经从木网变成了钢网，单价已经上涨至70~90美元，

thanks in part to Trump's tariffs on Canadian steel, he says.

这在一定程度上要归结于特朗普对加拿大征收钢铁关税的举措。

The influx of PPP loans has helped some.

PPP贷款的注入只帮助到了一部分人。

According to the Small Business Administration,

美国小企业管理局数据显示，

about 1,360 Maine lobstermen—about 1 in 3— have received loans of less than $150,000.

缅因州约有1360名龙虾渔民——约该州总渔民人数的1/3——只拿到了不到15万美元的贷款。

But as in other industries, the biggest players got more from the federal trough.

但与其他行业一样，获得帮助最大的依然是该行业最大的参与者。

Four of the state's largest lobster companies hauled in $350,000 to $1 million, according to the SBA.

SBA数据显示，该州规模最大的四家龙虾公司就拿到了35~100万美元的贷款。

Everyone else, including Woodman, is learning to adapt.

剩下的所有人，包括伍德曼在内，仍在学着适应新形势。

He now ships his catch over the border to Canada,

如今，伍德曼已经开始将捕到的鱼运到美加边境销售，

which then sells them, tariff-free, to China and Europe.

加拿大随后则将其免关税出售给中国和欧洲。

He is also capitalizing on the market for frozen lobster, usually tail and claw meat, but now also entire crustaceans.

此外，他还将目光投向了冷冻龙虾市场，通常都是虾尾和虾钳，但如今也开始整只冷冻售卖了。

"Everybody," Woodman says, "is trying to think outside the box."

“所有人，”伍德曼说，“都在尝试跳脱惯性思维寻找新的出路。”