Fish Radio
Russian seafood boycott reax, Mariculture RFP
August 26, 2014
This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Alaska retaliates against Russia’s seafood boycott reactions and help wanted to get Alaska mariculture moving. More after this –
Federal grants are available to help “Made in America” companies compete with imports and save US jobs. Learn more at www.nwtaac.org.
You can now download ASMI’s quick guide to Alaska seafood on any mobile device. Cooking it, catching it, sustaining it – learn more at www.alaskaseafood.org —
If Russia won’t buy US salmon roe, pollock, whiting and other seafoods, we won’t buy theirs. That’s how Alaska’s major companies hope to hit back at Russia’s year long import ban on food products from several nations. For Alaska, it’s a loss of $60 million and 20 million pounds of seafood sales, mostly salmon roe and pollock surimi. Nearly all of Alaska’s seafood processors and Bering Sea crabbers are urging Congress and the President to enact a retaliatory ban on seafood coming to the US from Russia.
That would really hurt. Seafood.com reports that last year the US imported more than $220 million dollars worth of king crab and snow crab from Russia. In fact, nearly 90% of the king crab eaten by Americans comes from Russia.
Senator Lisa Murkowski is taking the lead in DC. She is urging the Alaska delegation to sign on to a letter asking President Obama to impose a ban on Russian seafood coming into the US, should diplomatic means fail to persuade Russia to rescind its seafood embargo.
Department of Commerce director Penny Pritzker, who was in Alaska, said a priority is to put an Office of Export Assistance in Alaska — in part, to help more than 600 companies that export goods internationally.
Switching to Alaska mariculture – a Request for Proposals is out for an Economic Analysis of Alaska’s Mariculture potential. The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation believes it can be a billion dollar industry in 30 years. The analysis will serve as a road map for a statewide strategic plan. Deadline is September 19.
Find links at www.afdf.org
Ocean Beauty has contributed over 10 million meals to the U.S. Food Bank network, and is committed to ending hunger in America. www.oceanbeauty.com In Kodiak, I’m Laine Welch.
