Chile’s production could fall to a quarter of current production levels by 2050 if the industry continues without growth.
This sums up the warning from the local Salmon Council, which aired its concern after latest data showed yet another contraction in production.
Chile has always trailed forerunner Norway as the world’s biggest producers of salmon. Norway had roughly two times Chile’s production 15 years ago and things have not changed much.
In 2021, Norway harvested 1,405,000 tonnes (gutted weight), up 4 percent year-on-year, according to Kontali Analyse. Chile meanwhile saw its harvest contract by 10 percent to 633,500 tons.
“Faced with the expansions planned by competing countries, if Chile’s production level continues without growth, by 2050 our share of the world market would fall to about a quarter of what it is today,” Joanna Davidovich, Executive Director of the Salmon Council, was quoted as saying by news outlet Bibliochile.
The ISA virus outbreak between 2007 and 2010 has especially been crippling for Chile, prompting regulators to implement various regulatory changes in the sector to make it more sustainable and address biological issues. Such changes implemented through the years have impacted output significantly.
