Russian seafood still reaches US via Chinese processing

The Story

According to a report from NPR and NHPR, Russian seafood continues to reach American consumers despite a U.S. ban implemented in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The ban initially targeted Russian seafood imports, but fish caught by Russian vessels is being processed in Chinese plants and then re-labeled as a product of China. This practice is permitted under a trade law concept called “substantial transformation,” which assigns country of origin based on where the last major processing occurred. University of Washington assistant professor Jessica Gephart co-authored a study finding that before the invasion, about 90% of Russian seafood sold in the U.S. came through Chinese processing plants, and that figure did not significantly change after the initial ban. Subsequent U.S. executive orders have aimed to close the loophole for fish processed in China, but Gephart described the system as still imperfect. The report notes that Russia’s commercial fishing industry recorded record revenues in 2025 and increased shipments to China.

Key Facts

• The U.S. banned imported Russian seafood in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
• Russian-caught fish is sold to Chinese processing plants, where it is transformed into products like breaded fish fingers, canned pink salmon, or imitation crab.
• Under “substantial transformation” rules, the country of origin on the label is where processing occurred, not where the fish was caught.
• Before the invasion, about 90% of Russian seafood sold in the U.S. came through Chinese processing plants, and that share did not budge after the initial ban.
• Additional layers of U.S. rules and executive orders now ban fish coming through the China processing loophole.
• Russia’s commercial fishing industry had record revenues in 2025 and increased shipments to China.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

The article does not quantify how much Russian seafood still reaches the U.S. after the tightened rules.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Wailin Wong – Reporter for NPR’s The Indicator
• Nate Hegyi – Reporter for New Hampshire Public Radio
• Jessica Gephart – Assistant professor at the University of Washington, co-author of a study on Russian seafood entering the U.S.

Sources: NPR