Putin effect gives Chilean salmon farming short-lived boost

Tokyo

WHAT does President Vladimir Putin have to do with the price of fish? At least when it comes to salmon, quite a lot.

In the tit-for-tat sanctions between Russia and nations opposing its annexation of Crimea, one retaliatory move by Mr Putin in August was to include fish in a banned list of products from the European Union, Norway, Canada, the US and Australia.

That made Chilean salmon farmers happy as Russia came knocking to replace the 100,000 tonnes of the fish it bought from Norway alone in a year, driving up prices. Didn't last. The rouble's 29 per cent slump agai…