Russian seafood still reaches US plates despite import ban
The Story
According to an NPR report, Russian seafood continues to reach American consumers despite a U.S. ban imposed in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ban was part of a wider effort to restrict Russian exports, but enforcement is complicated by trade practices. Most Russian fish is caught, then sold to processing plants in China, where it is transformed into products such as breaded fillets, canned pink salmon, and imitation crab. Under trade law, the country of origin on the label is where the last major processing occurred, so these products are marked as from China rather than Russia. A study co-authored by University of Washington assistant professor Jessica Gephart found that before the invasion, about 90 percent of Russian seafood sold in the U.S. came through Chinese processing plants, and that percentage did not change after the initial ban. Additional rules and executive orders have since targeted this loophole, but Gephart described the system as still imperfect. Russia’s commercial fishing industry reported record revenues in 2025 with a large increase in shipments to China.
Key Facts
- The U.S. banned imported Russian seafood in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
- Russian fish is often sold to Chinese processing plants, where it is transformed into breaded fillets, canned pink salmon, or imitation crab.
- Under the trade law concept of substantial transformation, the country of origin on the label is where the fish was last significantly processed, not where it was caught.
- Before the 2022 invasion, about 90 percent of Russian seafood sold in the U.S. came through Chinese processing plants, a figure that did not change after the initial ban, according to Jessica Gephart’s study.
- New layers of rules and executive orders have since been added to target the China processing loophole, but the system remains imperfect.
- Russia’s commercial fishing industry reported 2025 as a record-revenue year with a large increase in shipments to China.
Conflicting Reports
No conflicting reports identified in the source article.
Still Unclear
No open questions identified in the source article.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Jessica Gephart, assistant professor at the University of Washington, co-author of a study on Russian fish entering the U.S.
- Wailin Wong, reporter for NPR’s The Indicator
- Nate Hegyi, reporter for New Hampshire Public Radio
- Michel Martin, NPR host (credited as reading an introduction only)
Sources: NPR
