Russia has amended its law on seafood imports, adding seafood from so-called "unfriendly countries" to its banned list, including some high-quality seafood from the United States, the European Union and Norway.

On July 25, the Russian Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo) announced that the federal government has decided to ban the import of a variety of seafood products, which applies to fish and other seafood imported from the United States, European Union member states, Canada and Norway.

Rosrybolovstvo believes that the ban should open up new market niches, including some high-end markets, and be filled by domestic producers, and the production capacity of local Russian suppliers can fully meet domestic demand. The ban will allow Russian companies to increase their own production and create new jobs. In addition, the decline in the market share of imported products will eliminate the negative impact of exchange rate fluctuations on domestic prices.

It is reported that the ban list includes salmon, herring, sardines, sardines, shad, tuna, skipjack and bonito, mackerel, anchovies, eel, shark fin, sturgeon caviar and caviar substitutes, and other products prepared or stored, whole or cut fish.

In addition, crab, shrimp, lobster, shellfish, oysters, scallops, squid, octopus, abalone, conch, sea cucumber, sea urchin, jellyfish and other products originating from these "unfriendly countries" are also on the ban list.

From January to May 2023, Russian seafood imports totaled 245,000 tons (worth about $1 billion), an increase of 10 percent year-on-year.

According to Reuters, after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, Russia's imports from those countries have fallen sharply. Some Western producers have stopped exporting directly to Russia, but Moscow has found roundabout solutions to keep goods flowing, including grey import schemes, and there are still plenty of foreign goods on its store shelves.