State lawmakers in Alaska have passed a resolution asking the federal government to continue and enhance the ban on Russian seafood in the United States.
The resolution calls on U.S. President Donald Trump, Congress, and the federal government “to maintain and strengthen federal measures that ensure fair trade, protect the state’s seafood industry, and promote sustainable and ethical seafood production.”
“The state’s seafood industry faces an existential and global threat in the form of unfair trade and market practices by Russian seafood producers that drive down the cost of seafood around the world and prevent seafood companies in the state from competing on fair terms,” the resolution states.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden first implemented a ban on Russian seafood in 2022 and then strengthened the ban to include Russian seafood processed in other countries in 2023. However, that ban is set to expire this year, and Alaskan state lawmakers are urging the federal government to ensure the ban is extended.
The resolution, which passed on a state level in March, called “for the continuation of the ban on Russian seafood imports imposed in 2022, after [Russia’s] invasion of Ukraine.” The resolution claims that Russian seafood prices are kept “artificially low” through state subsidies, loose environmental protections, and labor exploitation. Those lower prices undermine Alaskan seafood, the lawmakers have alleged, driving down prices for the Alaskan products.
According to Alaska Public Media, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) Executive Director Jeremy Woodrow testified in support of the resolution, noting that there remains a “stockpile” of Russian fish in the U.S. that accumulated prior to the 2022 ban.
“We need more time to really capture the U.S. marketplace,” Woodrow said before the Alaska Senate Resources Committee. “Our industry has not recovered yet. Even though last year’s fishing season was better, it was still one of the worst years in the last 20 years. This is one measure that will help our fishermen. We’re starting to see the fruits of this ban coming into play, but we need more time to provide stability to our industry. We need more time to see it come to fruition."
