Sullivan: Russia flooding markets to drive down Alaska fish prices

Sen. Dan Sullivan said Tuesday that Russia has publicly declared it is at war with Alaska fishermen by flooding markets to drive down prices, and that he led the effort to impose a comprehensive ban on Russian seafood imports to fight back.

Sullivan made the remarks at a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing he chaired on "The Blue Economy: Advancing American Fisheries, Maritime Strength, and Coastal Economies." The hearing featured testimony from four expert witnesses, three of whom were Alaskans: Tommy Sheridan, director of the Alaska Blue Economy Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; Jeremy Woodrow, executive director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute; and Nathan Wardwell, managing partner of JOA Surveys, LLC.

Sullivan asked Woodrow how the ban is impacting Alaska's seafood harvesters. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has publicly backed the expanded ban, saying it would help Alaska fishermen and processors compete fairly in the U.S. market.

Testimony showed that the Russians are massively subsidizing new fishing fleets. Russian pollock harvest has jumped from 1.75 million tons to 2.46 million tons since 2021 while U.S. harvest levels remain steady.

The U.S. expanded its prohibition on imports of Russian seafood in 2023 to include seafood harvested in Russian waters even if it was further processed in a third country.