Christian Molinari

Christian Molinari

Contributing Editor

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
November 1, 2022

Chile’s salmon farming industry used 238 metric tons (MT) of antimicrobials to treat its fish during the first half of 2022, over 98 percent of which was used in seawater salmonid grow-out centers, according to the latest antimicrobial use report from Sernapesca, Chile's aquaculture authority.

While the report did not provide comparable figures from the same period of last year, according to the Chilean Salmon Council, levels were

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Published on
October 31, 2022

Santiago, Chile-based Salmones Camanchaca is aiming to hit a feed-conversion ratio of 0.6 across its entire salmon-farming operations by 2030, the company's CEO, Ricardo García, said at the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil (IFFO) conference in Lima, Peru on 26 October, 2022.

“Over the last 15 years, we’ve seen a conversion factor that has come down from over 1.6 to 1.7 to very close to 1 today,” he said during

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Published on
October 27, 2022

Ecuador’s push to implement technology to drive efficiency while focusing on sustainable production may lead it to take the top spot in the global shrimp market as soon as this year, according to Allan Cooper, director of business and value creation at Lima, Peru-based aquafeed company Vitapro.

Speaking at the annual IFFO - The Marine Ingredients Organization Conference in Lima on 26 October, Cooper said Ecuador's wild shrimp catch

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Published on
October 26, 2022

Salmon and trout exports from Chile reached USD 4.77 million (EUR 4.83 million) during the first three quarters of the year, surging 31 percent compared to the same nine months of 2021, according to the Chilean Salmon Council’s Quarterly Report on Salmon Exports.

For the third quarter alone, Chile’s exports of salmon and trout hit USD 1.54 billion (EUR 1.56 billion), up 31 percent compared to the same quarter of 2021. The

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Published on
October 25, 2022

Traceability in the fishing value chain is an absolute necessity not only when it comes to compliance, responsible practices, and guaranteeing integrity and sustainability, but also in meeting market expectations and driving ethical sourcing while reducing the risk of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, according to participants in the workshop sponsored by MarinTrust, the global marine ingredient standard for responsible

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Published on
October 20, 2022

The Ecuadorian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) have signed an agreement that looks to halt the conversion of natural habitat to accommodate shrimp farming in the country.

The agreement marks the first national commitment for conversion-free aquaculture from any country in the world, according to the two entities. Under this arrangement, Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based

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Published on
October 18, 2022

Sweden-based private equity firm Altor has purchased U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital’s stake in the struggling Punta Arenas, Chile-based salmon farmer, Nova Austral.

“Altor Fund III GP Limited has today signed and closed the acquisition of Bain Capital’s stake in Nova Austral SA through the parent company Albain Holdco,” Altor said in a brief statement sent to the Oslo Børs. It did not reveal the price it

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Published on
October 14, 2022

Punta Arenas, Chile-based salmon farmer Nova Austral, facing scrutiny from environmental regulators over past practices, is also having to deal with another issue: lack of cash.

In response, bond provider Nordic Trustee said Nova Austral has approached it and its bondholders for help with obtaining additional funding ... 

Photo courtesy of Nova

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Published on
October 7, 2022

Salmones Aysén is facing a fine of up to CLP 10.8 billion (USD 11.5 million, EUR 11.7 million) for a September 2019 fish escape Chile’s Superintendency of the Environment (SMA) said was caused by the company's negligence.

SMA filed charges against Salmones Aysén for "noncompliance with the conditions, norms, and measures established in its environmental permit" in regard to a September 2019 fish escape at its

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Published on
October 5, 2022

A Chilean engineering firm is hoping to break through market barriers using a barrier of its own – specifically, a microbubble barrier solution for marine environments, including for salmon farms.

The firm, Low O2, offers diagnostic services and tailored solutions employing microbubble barriers, upwelling technologies, and other aeration systems which help to protect marine environments. Low O2 CEO Luis Sepulveda told SeafoodSource the

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