Chilean industrial pelagic fisher and processer Corpesca has received a recertification from sustainability organization Friends of the Sea.
According to a press statement, the company has been recertified by the organization in multiple categories of sustainability and may continue displaying the Friend of the Sea eco-label on its products.
“We salute Corpesca,” Friend of the Sea Director Paolo Bray said. “It’s inspiring to see such a large-scale, complex organization make the very serious commitment to getting recertified in multiple categories.”
Santiago, Chile-based Corpesca is a consolidated global producer of fishmeal and fish oil from marine sources. According to the statement, the company has made environmental sustainability one of the key pillars of its business strategy and applies sustainable practices to the production of a wide range of fish-related products.
The 1,400-employee company has numerous subsidiaries with operations and investments in Chile, Peru, and Brazil. Founded in 1999, the company has a strong presence in the north of Chile, with both an open-sea fishing fleet as well as four processing centers in Arica, Iquique, and Mejillones. The company is involved in different pelagic fisheries, although its principal activities surround processing anchovy into fish oil and fishmeal.
According to its annual report for 2018, the company posted sales of USD 694 million (EUR 617.5 million) and positive net profit from its fishing operations of USD 11.02 million (EUR 9.8 million), the first year in the black after a combined USD 156 million (EUR 138.8 million) in losses between 2015-2017 due to losses in processing volume associated with El Niño weather patterns.
Including other activities apart from fishing, the group posted a consolidated EBITDA of USD 51.04 million (EUR 45.41 million) in 2018, up from USD 13.16 million13 (EUR 11.71 million) in the previous year. In 2018, the company processed a total of 637,400 tons of fish. In 2018, Corpesca invested USD 13.5 million (EUR 12 million) into its fishing fleet and USD 10.7 million (EUR 9.5 million) into industrial plants.
Of its fishmeal and fish oil production, 51 percent is exported and the rest sold in the Chilean national market. Its primary receiver, in terms of monetary value, is the Americas, accounting for 53 percent, with 31 percent going to Europe, 15 percent to Asia, and 1 percent to Africa and Oceana.
Photo courtesy of Corpesca
