Christian Molinari

Christian Molinari

Contributing Editor reporting from Santiago, Chile

A native of San Francisco, Christian Molinari has lived and worked in Chile for over 20 years, after having arrived in Santiago as a volunteer and falling in love with the culture and its people. He covered business news in Latin America for over a decade, worked in communications at IBM Chile, and currently freelances in strategic communications and reporting.


Author Archive

Published on
March 31, 2025

Chilean fishing and salmon-farming firm Camanchaca saw its after-tax profit jump to USD 22 million (EUR 20.3 million) for the full year 2024, quadrupling the USD 5.4 million (EUR 5 million) it posted in 2023 thanks to strong performances in both its fishing and salmon-farming divisions.

“Our focus on quality, efficiency, and scale is paying off and the 2024 numbers prove it,” Camanchaca CEO Ricardo García Holtz said.

He

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Published on
March 27, 2025

Salmon-farming stakeholders in Chile – including companies, associations, government authorities, industry workers, and academia – have come together to begin working on a 50-year plan to help drive sector development.

Interested parties met in the southern city of Puerto Montt at the beginning of March for a signing ceremony that confirmed their commitments to developing the 50-year salmon plan. The proposed plan has a

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Published on
March 26, 2025

CeDePesca – a Buenos Aires, Argentina-headquartered NGO that aims to help fisheries in Latin America work toward implementing more sustainable practices – has made advancements with fishery improvement projects (FIP) for hake in Chile and red snapper in Mexico, the organization announced in separate reports.

Regarding the former FIP, the Chilean hake (Merluccius gayi gayi) fishery has entered into the full assessment process to

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Published on
March 25, 2025
Puerto Montt, Chile-based salmon-farming firm Ventisqueros has achieved a feat it claims is a first in the Southern Hemisphere: developing a fish-farming center that operates 100 percent on certified renewable energy. The center, located on the island of Chiloé in the south of Chile,… Read More
Published on
March 20, 2025

Puerto Montt, Chile-based salmon-farming firm Salmones Camanchaca returned to profitability in the fourth quarter of 2024, posting net earnings of USD 3.9 million (EUR 3.6 million) compared to a USD 6.5 million (EUR 6 million) loss in the same quarter of 2023.

The earnings spike came as Salmones Camanchaca harvested 13,689 metric tons (MT) whole fish equivalent (WFE) of Atlantic salmon in the quarter, which was 56 percent higher than the harvest

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Published on
March 19, 2025

Puerto Natales, Chile-headquartered aquaculture firm AquaChile has opened its first branch in the U.S., aiming to further cement its position within its largest export market.

The new branch, located in Medley, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area, “reinforces the company's strategy to bring its seafood to one of the most dynamic and demanding markets in the world,” AquaChile said in a release.

The branch will have a team of more

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Published on
March 17, 2025

Ecuador has announced plans to partner with Erik Prince – the founder of a notorious U.S. private defense contracting firm – to combat organized crime and fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the country.

“Organized crime has sown fear and has believed that it can operate with impunity. Their time is running out. International aid will begin in Ecuador,” Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said on X.

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Published on
March 14, 2025

Salmon has long been marketed as a superfood to consumers, providing high amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

However, entrepreneurs across several industries are recognizing salmon’s versatility outside of the food sector.

For example, byproducts that were once thrown out within the industry’s production processes are now considered a valuable commodity in the manufacture of sustainable

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Published on
March 14, 2025

Peru’s anchovy fishery is the largest fishery by volume in the world, with its landings significantly determining supply and pricing for the global fishmeal and fish oil sectors.

Peru’s successful 2024 anchovy catch of more than 4.8 million metric tons (MT) was made possible thanks to favorable oceanographic conditions, coupled with timely regulatory decisions made at the opening of both seasons, according to the Peruvian National

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Published on
March 6, 2025

Ecuador exported less shrimp by both volume and value year over year in 2024, with big decreases seen in shipments to China.

Ecuador exported 2.67 billion pounds of farmed shrimp in 2024, bringing in USD 6.07 billion (EUR 5.79 billion), representing decreases of 0.2 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively, when compared to 2023, according to figures from Ecuador’s National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA).

Ecuadorian shrimp shipments to China, the

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