Interior Alaska News

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan has announced a significant development in international trade policy concerning seafood. As a member of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee, Sullivan welcomed the inclusion of language in the Group of Seven (G7) Leaders' Communique that criticizes Russia's "environmentally unsustainable and unfair trading practices regarding fish and seafood products." This statement follows concerns about the impact of Russian seafood dumping on Alaska and the broader U.S. seafood industry.

Sullivan collaborated with senior Biden administration officials to draft this policy statement. He views it as an initial step towards urging America's allies to impose comprehensive sanctions on Russian seafood imports due to what he describes as Russia's unfair trade practices and its invasion of Ukraine. Last December, Sullivan was instrumental in securing a new Executive Order to close a loophole allowing Russian-origin seafood into the United States despite an earlier ban.

"The Putin regime is engaged in an all-out price war against America’s fishermen and seafood industry—an economic retaliatory attack against America and our allies for standing against the brutal invasion of Ukraine," said Sen. Sullivan. He highlighted that Russia uses unsustainable fisheries practices to undercut American prices, aiming to drive American fishermen out of business during challenging market conditions.

Sullivan emphasized ongoing efforts by meeting with Secretary Raimondo and other officials to develop strategies addressing these threats to the U.S. seafood economy. He noted that securing this language in the G7 Communique was crucial but stressed the importance of follow-through: "The key now is follow-through—ensuring our allies enact comprehensive sanctions on Russian seafood consistent with this G7 statement."

In addition, last week Sullivan secured a provision in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) prohibiting military dining facilities from purchasing or selling seafood originating from China.

The G7 nations supporting this document include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.