China's ban on Russian seafood imports and the closure of its ports cost the country's pollock sector an estimated $400 million (€353 million) last year, but the industry is putting a positive spin on the outcome.

Despite the financial losses and a cascade of logistics issues, the country’s overall production of pollock fillets, surimi and mince blocks increased 50 percent year-on-year to 150,000 tons, according to the Russia’s Pollock Catchers Association (PCA), a major leap forward in the country's drive to produce higher-value products.