Taiwanese fishery authorities were surprised at Russia's order to prohibit imports of Pacific saury from Taiwan, which took effect on Dec. 15. It is believed that a misunderstanding may have led to the ban, with Russian inspectors mistaking Taiwanese fishing boats for canning factory ships, which have different sanitary and hygienic norms.
Russia's decision affects 87 enterprises in Taiwan, as well as an annual production of TWD 500 million (USD 16.7 million, EUR 12.1 million). The Fisheries Agency has already begun to formulate a plan with the Bureau of Foreign Trade and the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection to persuade Russia to lift the ban.
Russia is Taiwan's second-largest Pacific saury market, where 25,000 tonnes of fish were shipped last year. The Russian market represents one fifth of Taiwan's saury exports.
