Chilean salmon farming has established itself as one of the country's economic drivers, with exports exceeding US$6.500 billion annually. However, the sector faces significant challenges in terms of productivity and health, leading its main players to seek innovative solutions.
In this context, the Salmon Council has presented a series of measures to recover efficiency, while the scientific community and companies are exploring new tools such as autovaccines to improve fish health.
A plan to restore efficiency
The Salmon Council, which represents the sector's main companies, has presented a proposal to the Congressional Fisheries Committee. Among these measures is the possibility of implementing micro-relocations of aquaculture concessions , a mechanism that would allow for adjusting the location of farms without increasing the authorized biomass. Currently, harvests remain at around 1,1 million tons, and the granting of new concessions has been suspended since 2020. Of the 1.060 relocation applications submitted since 2010, only two have been successful.
The agenda also includes adjustments to the regulatory definition of production, the recognition of margins in biomass measurement, and a review of preventative culling for sanitary reasons. According to a study commissioned by the Council itself, these measures could increase production by between 4% and 8% , which would translate into between US$260 million and US$520 million in additional annual exports. Furthermore, it is estimated that between 1.800 and 5.400 new jobs will be created in the Los Lagos, Aysén, and Magallanes regions.
The industry insists that the goal is not to open new maritime areas, but to make better use of existing capabilities to reverse the stagnation in Chilean salmon production . Public-private collaboration and an update to the National Aquaculture Policy, which dates back to 2003, are considered key to achieving this objective. Meanwhile, countries like Norway and Scotland have already updated their strategies for the sector.
Autovaccines: a tool under discussion
In the health sector, autogenous vaccines are emerging as an alternative to combat emerging diseases in salmon farming and local strains. Unlike commercial vaccines, these are produced from microorganisms isolated at the fish farm itself. However, experts from the INCAR Center point out that, although regulations in Chile already permit them, approval times are excessively long . For example, for tenacibaculosis, a bacterial disease, the process can take more than nine months.
This delay discourages its use, especially in public health emergencies. The researchers propose establishing an expedited procedure for urgent cases, without compromising biosafety standards. They also suggest standardizing the required information to avoid administrative back-and-forth.
The Chilean salmon industry, which produces around 60% of the national output through six companies, sees these tools as an opportunity to reduce antibiotic use and improve animal welfare. Although the use of antimicrobials in Chilean salmon will remain necessary, the trend is toward more preventative and evidence-based management.
Chilean salmon farming is at a turning point. The measures proposed by the Salmon Council aim to unlock growth, while research into autogenous vaccines and other health innovations promises to improve the sector's sustainability. Success will depend on the capacity for collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as regulatory agility in adapting to new challenges.
