With mackerel prices pressured, Russia's leading seafood importer turns to Pacific suppliers

UltraFish, one of Russia’s largest seafood importers, is planning to shift its mackerel sourcing to the Pacific as domestic demand grows and supplies from Atlantic waters decline.

Alexei Popov, general director of UltraFish Trading House, told IntraFish his company is forecasting an impending shortage of mackerel for Russian consumers, and expects the tightness "will only grow until the end of the year."

There are several reasons behind the company's forecast, Popov said. For one, mackerel quotas have been reduced in the Atlantic, making product more difficult and more expensive to purchase.