Regulations would be adjusted to reduce production costs of the industry

Christian Pérez The minister of Economy Félix de Vicente revealed that the Chilean government is worried about the loss of competitiveness in the local salmon industry. For that reason, the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Association of the Chilean Salmon Industry have been discussing what specific regulations need to be modified to reduce those costs. Afterwards, the Ministry of Economy will choose what requirements will be eliminated from the regulation. The increased number and frequency of delousing bath treatments would be one of the most expensive changes in the current regulation, which would have led companies to perform early harvests of fish to avoid treatments. According to the financial journal Pulso, five of the salmon companies listed in the local stock exchange informed an average 26 percent increase in their production costs in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period of 2012.