G7 leaders denounce Russia's unfair fish trade practices

The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations, which met in Apulia, Italy, from 13 to 15 June, have published a Communiqué that denounces Russia's unfair fish and seafood trade practices.

"We express concern about Russia's environmentally unsustainable and unfair trading practices regarding fish and seafood products," the Communiqué reads.

Subsequently, the leaders hope for successful outcomes from the next Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16) in Colombia and the UN Conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) in Saudi Arabia.

Accusations, sanctions, and an uncertain future

In June 2023, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang accused the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification body in an open letter of reducing its requirements favoring the Russian seafood industry.

MSC clarified that they organized the MSC program to avoid potential conflicts of interest. According to international organization, the third-party assessors independently make decisions as part of the process and despite the war, Russian seafood continues to be traded globally.

A few months later, Russia expanded its list of banned fishery products from "hostile countries" of Russia. These countries were the United States, the EU, Canada, Australia, Norway, Ukraine, Albania, Montenegro, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and the United Kingdom.

On the other hand, shipments of fishery products from China and other countries unaffected by the sanctions continued to be allowed.