Cantwell Commends Executive Order Curbing Imports of Russian Seafood to Protect WA Markets and Fishermen
Biden’s order to help insulate WA’s $1.2 billion, 10k job seafood industry from cheap & unsustainable Russian fishing practices
SEATTLE – Today, President Biden issued an Executive Order to strengthen U.S. sanctions on Russian financial institutions and import bans on certain Russian goods, including Russian seafood. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, released the following statement applauding the Executive Order:
"I commend the Biden-Harris Administration for taking decisive action to close loopholes allowing illegal Russian seafood to infiltrate the U.S. market, jeopardizing the hardworking fishermen of Washington state and Alaska. By processing their products in third countries like China, these bad actors have undermined our domestic fishing industry. This strong stance reaffirms our unwavering support for American fishermen, who risk their lives to feed our nation.
“I look forward to collaborating with the Administration to ensure that the seafood products covered by this executive action prioritize the interests of our fishing communities. Together, we will work toward a sustainable future for our blue economy, safeguarding the livelihoods of our fishermen and the health of our fisheries,” said Sen. Cantwell.
According to the Department of the Treasury, the new amendment to Executive Order 14068 will further ensure that Russia is not able to skirt certain import bans by exporting goods indirectly via third countries to the United States, specifically in regard to seafood harvested in Russian waters or by Russia-flagged vessels that are later substantially transformed in third countries. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control will issue a determination prohibiting the importation and entry into the United States of salmon, cod, pollock, or crab produced or harvested in Russia, even if such product has been incorporated or substantially transformed into another product outside of the Russian Federation.
Currently, seafood harvested in Russia is able to make it onto grocery shelves in Washington state despite import bans because it’s often processed or packaged in a third country. The fishing industry in Russia is subject to lax sustainability practices and little labor oversight, which allows them to flood the market with cheaper product and ultimately makes it difficult for Washington fishing businesses to compete.
The seafood industry is vital to the State of Washington’s economy – it currently supports 10,000 jobs and is worth $1.2 billion. Last week, Congress passed Sen. Cantwell’s legislation to reauthorize the Maritime Administration, which will support the state’s fishing industry by expanding investment opportunities to modernize ports, maritime infrastructure, and shipbuilding while expanding workforce education and training.
In the wake of the fishing disaster declarations last December, Sen. Cantwell secured $300 million in economic relief for fishing families impacted by cancelled crab and salmon harvests followed by another $220 million in May.
In January, Sen. Cantwell celebrated the culmination of her 12-year long battle to protect salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska – one of the most productive salmon runs in the world -- from the Pebble Mine proposal. Bristol Bay salmon generate an annual value of at least $500 million for commercial and recreational fisheries in the State of Washington, and support over 5,000 fishery jobs in Washington state alone.
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