There’s a cold war brewing in your freezer.
On Aug. 7, in retaliation for American sanctions, Russia banned the importation of most foreign food products. Russia imports salmon roe and smolt, hake, pollock and other fish products caught here in Alaska. Russia is a big market, and this ban will hurt Alaska fishermen by limiting the places they can sell their fish.
We do not believe this new cool war — it isn’t quite “cold” yet — will thaw soon. As the New York Times reported Wednesday, Russia is moving soldiers and weapons into eastern Ukraine, and relations between the United States and Russia are more likely to get worse than they are to improve.
If the United States cannot convince Russia to lift its import ban, it must implement a ban of its own to avoid further harm to the Alaska fishing industry.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Juneau Empire
