Chilean salmon harvests leap by more than 20%
Chile’s harvests of Atlantic and coho salmon increased by 21.6% and 25% respectively in the first half of 2018, according to the country’s Subsecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca).
For aquaculture as a whole, including shellfish, harvests for the first six months of the year amounted to 670,000 tonnes, a 12% increase on the same period in 2017. The main species were Atlantic salmon, mussels, and rainbow trout, contributing 46.9%, 40.2% and 5.9%, respectively, and accounting for 93% of the total harvested.
19% more fish
The total harvest of fish in the first half of 2018 reached 385,000 tonnes, 19% higher than in the same period in 2017.
Atlantic salmon accounted for 81% of salmonid harvests, while rainbow trout and coho salmon accounted for 10% and 9%, respectively.
The Los Lagos region accounted for 459,000 tonnes (68.4%) of aquaculture harvests, and Aysén for 162,000 tonnes (24.2%).
Atlantic salmon
Farmers harvested 314,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon in H1 2018, 21.6% higher than the same period in 2017. Los Lagos accounted for 159,000 tonnes and Aysén for 115,000 tonnes.
There were 40,000 tonnes of rainbow trout harvested in H1, a 1.8% drop on the same period last year.
The volume of coho salmon harvested reached 31,000 tonnes, a 25% increase on H1 2017. Nearly all coho was grown in Los Lagos region.
Fish comprised 57.5% of total aquaculture harvests, molluscs 41.2% and seaweed 1.4%.
