WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2025 29 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 30) carbon footprint places it among the most sustainable alternatives to respond to this challenge. Chilean salmon farming has constantly evolved, driven by environmental, health and regulatory challenges that have raised its standards and encouraged innovation. Today, the key is not only to mitigate impacts, but to anticipate them with technological solutions and evidence-based management. To respond to this scenario, the sector is driving an unprecedented innovation ecosystem in southern Chile. Image analysis with artificial intelligence, applied biotechnology, real-time monitoring, precision nutrition and advanced logistics are redefining production. This dynamism not only decentralizes knowledge and strengthens the southern regions but also positions salmon farming as a key player in the global food revolution. At the environmental level, industry still faces impacts such as decreased oxygen in the water, increased surface temperatures, harmful algal blooms and diseases (INTESAL 2024; PROMOFIINTESAL 2025). To address these challenges, advanced monitoring and management tools, science plans and development of new vaccines have been implemented, although it remains an area in constant development. The sustainable growth of salmon farming will depend on its ability to consolidate an efficient regulatory framework and adapt to an ever-changing environmental landscape. One of the biggest challenges has been the coordination of sectoral regulations, which govern everything from the granting of maritime concessions to environmental compliance. The interaction between the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (SUBPESCA), the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (SERNAPESCA), the Superintendency of the Environment (SMA) and the General Directorate of Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine (DIRECTEMAR) is key to ensuring the orderly and sustainable development of the activity. The future of salmon farming in Chile will depend on its ability to balance growth, sustainability and innovation, consolidating its role as a strategic pillar in the global food supply. To do so, decision-making based on science will be key, allowing for anticipating challenges, optimizing processes and strengthening the sustainability of the sector in the long term. Mussel Farming M. chilensis is an endemic mussel distributed throughout the Chilean coast (20°S - 56°S) and is very similar to the commercial European mussels Mytilus edulis (Europe) and Mytilus galloprovincialis (mainly in Spain), which facilitated its commercialization in international markets. Chilean mussel farming began to develop in Chiloé in the 1940s, for the restocking of mussels such as the mussel (Aulacomya atra), the Chilean mussel “chorito” (Mytilus chilensis) and “choro zapato” (Choromytilus chorus), adapting the mussel farming advances from Spain (Osorio et al. 1979). The take-off of mussel farming occurred in the 1990s with the implementation of wild “seed” collection systems (Figure 4), associated with wild populations of M. chilensis, which complement with a fattening stage in suspended nets in estuaries, fjords, and channels (Figure 5). The main limitations faced by mussel farming at its beginning were the access to aquaculture concessions (due to the initial slowness of the process) and the supply of seeds, which are mainly obtained from natural beds, an activity known as seed or spat collection. The largest supply of seeds was achieved in the 2000s, coinciding with the implementation of seed collection in the Reloncaví Bay, Reloncaví Fjord and Hualaihue municipality, which to date constitute the main seed supply areas (Leiva et al. 2007). Despite the wide geographical range of M. chilensis distribution, the culture of this species has a strong cultural and territorial component since its beginning in the 1960s. Los Lagos region concentrates 99% of the aquaculture activities of this mussel, generating 16,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region (Figure 6). The aquaculture of this species is considered a sustainable economic activity because it feeds by filtering small organisms naturally occurring in the sea environment. In addition, mussel farming provides other ecosystem services, like the generation of emergent beds, CO2 fixation, and mitigation of ocean eutrophication. Historical harvests of mussels have shown remarkable growth in the last decades, increasing from 23,996 tonnes in 2000 to 404,402 tonnes in 2024 (a 1,500% rise, www.sernapesca.cl). Chile is ranked as one of the main producers and exporters of mussels worldwide, generating an estimated revenue of 289,990 MUSD (FAO 2024). The primary export destinations include Spain, Russia, USA, Italy and France, accounting for 69.2% of total exports. This expansion has been driven by advancements in aquaculture technology, shifting from traditional raft-based systems to long-line FIGURE 5. Fattening stage of Chilean mussel farming. Courtesy of INTEMIT. FIGURE 6. Chilean mussel farm (Mytilus chilensis). Courtesy of INTEMIT.
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