Top 10 stories that defined Europe’s 2014 seafood industry

3. In August, after being hit with economic sanctions relating to the Ukraine crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin retaliated with his own sanctions that effectively put a halt to all seafood imports into Russia from Europe, Scandinavia, North America and Australia. Russia is a major market for many species. In particular, it is the single biggest importer of pelagic fish in the world and as such, it has been buying Scottish mackerel for more than 100 years. Prior to the year-long ban, the frozen mackerel trade between the two countries was valued at GBP 16 million (EUR 20.4 million/USD 24.9 million) annually. While Scotland’s pelagic fishing sector hit upon a five-point plan it hoped would protect it from the effects of Russia’s trade embargo, the challenge was made all the more difficult by the 80 percent increase in mackerel quota that was handed to the Scottish pelagic fleet in May.