Christian Molinari

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

Nicos Nicolaides – the former CEO of salmon-farming firm Nova Austral who in January was fully acquitted of all charges levied against him for supposed crimes committed when he worked at the firm – has begun to publicly discuss his case and its impact on the Chilean salmon industry. In an interview broadcast on the radio program “Salmon en la Patagonia” on Patagonia Radio, the former CEO discussed both the court ruling and the personal… Read More

The vast majority of aquaculture farms in Chile operate under aerobic conditions compatible with sustainable development, the country’s Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca) said in its latest Aquaculture Environmental Report. A total of 851 environmental evaluations were performed in 2023 and 2024 in Chile’s southernmost regions where salmon farming is most prevalent, particularly in the regions of Los Lagos and Aysén. A… Read More

Thai aquafeed manufacturer and distributor Thai Union Feedmill (TFM) will invest up to USD 55 million (EUR 46.7 million) in the construction of an aquaculture business facility in Ecuador, the company announced to the Stock Exchange of Thailand. TFM’s board greenlit the company’s Ecuadorian subsidiary to make the investment during the last director’s meeting on 12 February, according to a letter signed by CFO Piyanuch Marittanaporn. The… Read More

Argentina’s national-water red shrimp fishery has secured Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. The recognition comes after 10 years of work on a fishery improvement project (FIP) to obtain “the most prestigious certification in the world,” CeDePesca – a Buenos Aires, Argentina-headquartered NGO that aims to help fisheries in Latin America work toward implementing more sustainable practices – reported in a release. “MSC… Read More

Puerto Montt, Chile-based salmon-farming firm Invermar has activated its emergency action plan responding to a mass mortality event that took place 12 February at its Traiguén 2 farming center, located in the municipality of Quinchao on the island of Chiloé. Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) reported on its website that a low oxygen phenomenon has affected 283 metric tons (MT) of fish, equivalent to 10 percent… Read More

Ecuador’s farmed shrimp industry closed 2025 with USD 7.47 billion (EUR 6.3 billion) in exports, an increase of 23.2 percent when compared to the USD 6.07 billion (EUR 5.12 billion) sent abroad in 2024, according to the latest figures available from the country’s National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA). In volume terms, Ecuador exported 3.07 billion pounds of shrimp last year, a 15.1 percent increase compared to the 2.67 billion pounds of… Read More

More than 50 organizations from Latin America, North America, and Europe have presented a joint statement to the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO), demanding urgent measures to improve the conservation and management of the giant squid fishery on the high seas and to rein in China’s distant-water fishing fleet. The joint statement was signed by 17 artisanal fishing organizations from Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and… Read More