Chilean salmon-farming association SalmonChile has defined three main areas of focus for the country’s salmon-farming sector to strategize around as the industry evolves.
The focus areas arose from “Dialogues for the Salmon Farming of the Future” events, which SalmonChile sponsored to collect the opinions of the general public in Chile’s south, where the majority of the country’s salmon farming takes place, on salmon farming in the nation.
“[We wanted to have] a frank and open conversation to jointly project the future of salmon farming and the southern regions of the country,” SalmonChile said in a release.
The process brought together more than 800 participants for eight meetings held between June and October. Participants included salmon-farming companies, industry employees, unions, civil society groups, industry associations, artisanal fishers, representatives of Indigenous peoples, local authorities, and representatives of academia, among others.
“Why sit down to talk? Because no one knows better than the inhabitants of the south, our neighbors, and in our settings what salmon farming has meant in these regions, with its successes, failures, and pending issues to improve,” SalmonChile President Arturo Clément said. “They challenge us to commit to being an [economic] activity that is proud, valued, and respected at the regional and national levels. We all understand that there is a tremendous opportunity in salmon farming for development of the south and of the country as a whole. Chile needs reactivation and growth.”
The three main areas of focus as defined by SalmonChile are cohabitation, sustainability as it relates to the environment and technology, and economic development and social welfare.
The first area of focus, according to SalmonChile, includes the country instituting a clear, understandable regulatory framework and less bureaucracy; integrating communities and local actors into the process of defining regulations to generate co-responsibility in their compliance; revising the highly questioned Lafkenche Law to better adapt it to current realities and reduce tensions between communities and productive sectors; and promoting stronger collaboration between industry and local communities to ensure mutually beneficial coexistence.
The second area entails adoption of sustainable practices and strategies that balance economic growth with environmental stewardship; incorporating advanced technology to minimize environmental impacts and optimize the use of natural resources; and promoting environmental awareness among workers, communities, and other key actors, according to the association.
The last area includes recognizing salmon farming’s contribution to the local economy, as well as the need to strengthen public and private infrastructure in the south to improve living standards while promoting productive activities and investments in technical-vocational education to enhance human capital and local job opportunities.
Chile exports salmon to over 80 countries, providing more than 25 percent of the salmon consumed worldwide. During 2023, Chile exported more than 774,000 metric tons of salmon and trout, which was up 3.1 percent from 2022. The value of those exports reached USD 6.46 billion (EUR 5.9 billion), falling 2 percent compared to 2022.
Chile President Gabriel Boric has been critical of the salmon-farming industry, pushing to reform the sector, which has faced increased regulatory pressure after a series of scandals that included salmon-farming firms underreporting environmental damage and salmon mortalities.
In response, Boric has committed to presenting a new aquaculture law during the first half of 2025, but in the meantime, aquaculture executives have proposed working with the government on such issues as concessions and environmental controls.
