The Jack mackerel ranges from the Eastern South Pacific from Ecuador to Southern Chile and extends over to the West Coasts of New Zealand, Tasmania and Australia.
The fish has supported an industry in Chile since the early 1970s, under two main fisheries in the south central and the northern regions of the country. Frozen mackerel has increased 31.5 percent in value because of the positive results in the Peru and Cameroon markets, with an average price of USD 2.40 (EUR 1.74) per kilogram (kg). Canned mackerel is USD 5.10 (EUR 3.70) per kg, 1.3 percent higher than last year.
In a meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO) on 3 February in Manta, Ecuador, Chile was granted 66 percent of the global catch quota of jack mackerel in the South Pacific area for 2014. The capture of mackerel throughout its range in the South Pacific has been capped at 440,000 metric tons (MT), giving Chile a catch quota of 290,000 MT, a 16 percent increase from 2013. Last year, Chile harvested 214,612 MT of mackerel in its own waters and an additional 5,500 MT on the high seas.
“The results are successful, when you consider that in 2013 we had a complex scenario over the results of the review panel that caused the objection raised by the Russian Federation and additional claims by Peru,” said Pablo Galilea, Chile’s undersecretary of fisheries and aquaculture.
However, a source from within the Chilean mackerel industry says that one of the largest seafood companies in Chile has bought a huge amount of mackerel from China, which will definitely affect the local industry. Chile exports about 120,000 MT, with the Unite States one of the biggest destinations, although other markets include Africa, Sri Lanka and more than 30 other countries.
According to the same source, the mackerel industry was very profitable 10 years ago, but when imported tuna was introduced into the local market, the fishing companies started exporting most of their catch. Mackerel exports between November and December 2013 totaled USD 167,419 (EUR 121,604).
March 27, 2014
