Christian Molinari

Dynamism in the U.S. market helped Ecuador secure a record-breaking USD 7.47 billion (EUR 6.3 billion) in farmed shrimp exports in 2025, and Ecuadorian shrimp farmers still see room to grow, according to Ecuador’s National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA). Representing 49.5 percent of Ecuador’s shrimp exports last year was China, which bought USD 3.27 billion (EUR 2.76 billion) and continued to be the country’s main shrimp export destination.… Read More

Salmon-farming firms Blumar, Australis Mar, and Cermaq Chile have undertaken a three-year scientific study to redefine production areas in Chile’s southernmost Magallanes region, aiming to optimize operations while reducing sanitary risks. Under the joint initiative, a multidisciplinary team of scientists, veterinarians, and academics spent three years performing advanced modeling, oceanographic campaigns, systematic collection of… Read More

Chilean fishing company FoodCorp, which is owned by Norwegian firm Austevoll Seafood, has announced it will take legal action against the Chilean government over a fishing quota bill that was approved last year. The company is the latest to announce legal action against the government, joining fellow fishing firms Alimar, Camanchaca, and Blumar, as well as Landes, in filing claims for compensation of damages.  Under the nation’s previous… Read More

The Committee for the Sustainable Management of the Jumbo Flying Squid of the South Pacific (CALAMASUR) expressed disappointment in the lack of action on squid sustainability at a recent meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO), calling the move “insufficient.” Despite two weeks of talk, the 17 members of SPRFMO were only able to agree to a slight reduction in vessels authorized to participate in the… Read More

Scientific predictions of a coastal El Niño have Peru’s fishing industry calling for an early start to the fishing season to avoid a sharp drop in catch and potential economic hardship.  Peru’s Estudio National del Fenómeno de El Niño (ENFEN) climate agency – a multisectoral scientific technical entity charged with monitoring ocean and atmosphere anomalies to give an early warning for the El Niño phenomenon – has warned of a coastal… Read More

Peru-based anchoveta-fishing firm Corporación Pesquera Inca (Copeinca) has initiated arbitration against Cosco Shipping Ports Chancay Peru, a Chinese-Peruvian consortium that operates the Port of Chancay, requesting payment of USD 2.6 million (EUR 2.2 million). The dispute arose over a submarine outfall belonging to Copeinca at Chancay Port. The two companies signed an agreement in 2021 for Cosco to relocate the submarine outfall, which… Read More

Chilean salmon-farming firm Salmones Camanchaca saw its profits for Q4 2025 fall 22.9 percent to USD 3 million (EUR 2.6 million), compared to the USD 3.9 million (EUR 3.3 million) posted in the same quarter of 2024, as top-line revenues slipped while costs inched up. The company’s revenues in Q4 reached USD 108 million (EUR 92.8 million), which was 10.5 percent lower than the USD 120 million (EUR 103 million) posted in Q4 2024, mainly… Read More

Puerto Montt, Chile-based salmon-farming firm Ventisqueros is investing heavily in coho salmon, believing it will soon become a dominant export product. Currently, the firm’s sales are roughly evenly split between Atlantic salmon and coho, but the goal is to have that ratio shift to 60 percent in coho’s favor by 2030, Ventisqueros Chief Commercial Officer Javier Calvo told SeafoodSource.  “We’ve been working on that, and we will… Read More

Chilean industrial fishing firm Pesquera Alimar has announced it will sue the nation’s government for around USD 100 million (EUR 84.7 million) for what it sees as expropriatory actions outlined in a fishing quota bill that was approved last year. The company is the latest to announce legal action against the government, joining fellow fishing firms Camanchaca and Blumar, as well as Landes, in filing claims for compensation of damages. “What… Read More

One of the main issues that Chile’s aquaculture industry should address, especially with an aquaculture-friendly incoming government under President-elect José Antonio Kast, is diversification beyond salmon, Adolfo Alvial told SeafoodSource. “I am optimistic about the future of salmon farming in Chile, but I think that aquaculture [for raising other species] poses an interesting challenge for the new government,” he said. “As a country,… Read More