The Russian embargo

We've heard a lot about the trade war between the United States and China.

But another international conflict, this one involving Russia, has been crimping Alaska's seafood industry for more than five years now.

This four-page white paper from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute details the situation.

In 2014, Russia imposed an embargo on food products from the United States and other countries as retaliation for Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis.

The Russian embargo bans virtually all Alaska seafood products. Alaska seafood producers exported $61.3 million in goods to Russia in 2013, the year before the embargo, with salmon roe accounting for most of the total.

Now, here's the kicker: Although the Russian market is closed to the U.S. industry, the United States remains an open and lucrative market for Russian seafood.