Saving Seafood

Ukraine war compensation coming for EU fisheries, aquaculture

July 7, 2022 — The European Parliament will provide financial help to European Union fisheries and aquaculture sectors struggling with the economic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including giving compensation to those who have had to stop operating or whose economic viability is threatened.

On Wednesday, 6 July, 2022, Members of European Parliament (MEPs) adopted a measure to support fishers who have had to cease their activities due to the war in Ukraine as well as producers and fishing and aquaculture operators whose activities have been disrupted as a consequence of the conflict.

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Russian government considering relief measures as seafood industry struggles

June 15, 2022 — The Russian government has amended several fisheries-related regulations, including postponing for two years a vessel-construction requirement contained in its investment-quota program.

Russia has also abolished the mandatory conversion of revenue earned by exporters via foreign trade into rubles, and has allocated RUB 153 billion (USD 2.7 billion, EUR 2.5 billion) in direct aid to its agricultural and fisheries sectors to fortify them as they cope with the tightening financial vise of global sanctions put in place following the country’s February invasion of Ukraine.

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Russian seafood market facing rising uncertainty

June 3, 2022 — The future of the Russian seafood market remains unclear as the country’s invasion of Ukraine continues, with a decline of household incomes forcing a rebuild of business models in premium segments.

The economic uncertainty that emerged in late February and early March due to sanctions imposed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine led the government to quickly tighten its control over consumer markets. The Russian ruble also heavily depreciated against the euro and U.S. dollar, which coincided with an exodus of major Western brands from Russia, all of which have hurt economic stability and impacted consumer behavior.

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UK restaurants seek relief as Russian whitefish sanctions loom

May 16, 2022 — The U.K.’s restaurant and hospitality industry is asking for financial help as it faces higher taxes and rapidly rising seafood prices due to inflation and impending Russian sanctions.

The U.K. government issued sanctions against Russian goods – including the installation of a 35 percent tariff on whitefish – in March. In April, a government official said the sanctions had been “delayed while we sort some technicalities,” but noted “we are totally committed to them,” per Politico.

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US Senator Marco Rubio files bill to ban Russian seafood from entering US

May 9, 2022 — Another U.S. senator has come forward with a bill that would prohibit Russian seafood imports from entering the country.

On 4 May, 2022, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) filed S.4143 in the chamber. Dubbed the Protecting American Food Producers from Russia’s Market Distortions Act, the bill would keep fish and other products out of American ports until Russia meets certain conditions.

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Japan, Russia settle salmon quota amid tensions over Ukraine

April 23, 2022 — Japan and Russia have reached an agreement over Tokyo’s annual catch quota for Russian-born salmon and trout, the Japanese Fisheries Agency said Saturday, despite delays and chilled relations between the two sides amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The agreement on Japan’s quota for the popular fish in waters near disputed islands north of Hokkaido is a relief for Japanese fishermen who were worried about the prospects amid worsening ties between the two governments.

Japan and Russia concluded talks Friday, setting a catch quota of 2,050 tons for salmon and trout this year in Japan’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, the fisheries agency said in a statement. The quota is unchanged from last year, and Japan will pay 200-300 million yen ($1.56-2.34 million) in fees — depending on the actual catch — to Russia.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

 

US Sanctions on Russia’s Seafood Have a Big Loophole: China Processors

April 15, 2022 — A U.S. ban on seafood imports from Russia over its invasion of Ukraine was supposed to sap billions of dollars from Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

But shortcomings in import regulations mean that Russian-caught pollock, salmon and crab are likely to enter the U.S. anyway, by way of the country vital to seafood supply chains across the world: China.

Like the U.S. seafood industry, Russian companies rely heavily on China to process their catch. Once there, the seafood can be re-exported to the U.S. as a “product of China” because country of origin labelling isn’t required.

The result is that nearly a third of the wild-caught fish imported from China is estimated to have been caught in Russian waters, according to an International Trade Commission study of 2019 data. For pollock and sockeye salmon, the rate is even higher — 50% to 75%.

“China doesn’t catch cod. They don’t catch pollock. But yet, they’re one of the largest exporters of these whitefish in the world,” said Sally Yozell, a former policy director at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who now is a senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington. “Having it labeled as a Chinese product is really not fair to the consumers and to restaurants.”

Read the full story at NBC New York

Despite war ban, Russian seafood could enter the US anyway

April 15, 2022 — Fishing is big business in Russia, one closely linked to the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin’s projection of power at sea.

The country is one of the world’s top seafood producers and was the eighth-largest exporter to the United States last year, with more than $1.2bn worth of sales, the bulk of it king crab.

But it is unknown exactly how much manages to land in the US by way of China, which sent another $1.7bn in fish to the US last year. Nor does the Biden administration’s ban require companies importing from China to find out.

Among Russia’s biggest seafood exports is Alaska pollock. A cousin of cod, Alaska pollock is the most harvested fish in the US, showing up in everything from imitation crabmeat to McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. Every year, giant, floating factories in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska catch 1.5 million tonnes of fish, the equivalent of more than four times the weight of New York’s Empire State Building.

Read the full story at Al Jazeera

Russia forced to reshape fleet-renovation project due to sanctions

April 14, 2022 — A month and a half into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a clearer picture of the challenges the Russian seafood sector will be facing as a result of international sanctions is coming into focus.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine immediately caused turmoil in global seafood markets, and the consequences on trade caused ripple effects that still haven’t subsided. Multiple rounds of economic sanctions imposed by the European Union, the U.K., and the U.S. have already impacted the seafood industry.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource