Chile’s seafood landings dropped nearly 30 percent in the first half of 2013 compared to last year, according to the Chilean government.
The latest monthly sectorial report on fisheries and aquaculture, published by the undersecretary of fisheries, indicates that from January to June 2013 landings totaled 1,479,507 metric tons (MT). The figures are 28.4 percent lower than the 2,065,595 MT landed the previous year in that same period, and 43.8 percent below the average of the period 2008-2012.
The fishing activity represented 63.3 percent of the total, a decrease by 12.8 percent over the same period in 2012. Pelagic fisheries highlight within this group, representing 78.9 percent with a total of 739,000 MT. That’s a decrease of 41.8 percent over 2012. Demersal resources represented 2.9 percent and slightly fell by 1 percent over 2012. The southern demersal fishing ground represented 3 percent and other resources 15.2 percent.
As for aquaculture, this year’s first half was also worse compared to 2012. In 1H 2013, a total of 543,400 MT were produced, 4.1 percent less than in 1H 2012. Atlantic salmon was the top species produced, accounting for 42.9 percent of the total aquaculture produced in the first half of the year, with Chilean mussels (29.7 percent) and rainbow trout (13.8 percent) coming in at second and third, respectively.
But it’s not all bad news. Despite drops in volume, the value of fisheries and aquaculture exports accumulated by the end of May increased by 4.9 percent in 1H 2013 compared to the previous year, reaching USD 2.2 million (around EUR 1.6 million).
