Chile salmonid production up 8.5% in first third of year
Atlantic salmon production in Chile totalled 233,700 tonnes in the first third of 2019, a 5.1% increase on the same period last year, due largely to bigger harvests in the Aysén region.
The total salmonid harvest in Chile up to the end of April reached 301,600 tonnes, 8.5% higher than in the same period of 2018, according to the latest sector figures from the country’s Undersecretariat for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Subpesca.
Atlantic salmon accounted for 77.5% of production, while coho salmon and rainbow trout account made up 11% and 11.5% respectively.
Aysén produced 143,100 tonnes of Atlantic salmon and Los Lagos harvested 65,100 tonnes.
The amount of coho salmon harvested between January and April amounted to 33,000 tonnes, a rise of 7.4% compared to the same period in 2018. Most of the coho was produced in the Los Lagos region (75.3%), followed by Aysén (24.6%).
217 million eggs
The amount of rainbow trout harvested in the first four months of 2019 reached 34,800 tonnes, a rise of 12.3% compared to the first third of 2018. The main production regions are Aysén and Los Lagos, with 45.1% and 33.1%, respectively.
A total of 217.6 million salmonid eggs were produced in January-April of this year, an increase of 31.1% for the period. Atlantic salmon eggs made up 87.2% of the total, with rainbow trout making up another 7.7% and coho 5.1%.
Chile imported 6.2 million Atlantic salmon eggs in January to April, compared to just 29,000 units in the same period last year.
To read the Subpesca report, click here.
