MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chilean fisheries landings reached 2.8 million tons in Jan-September

Toothfish landings were down 14.8% totalling 1.700 tons

According to the latest Report of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector from the Chilean Under-Secretary of Fisheries, (Subpesca), the wild fisheries sector contributed 2.8 million tons between January and September of 2011 while aquaculture harvests reached 515.100 tons.

A majority (60.8%) of landings was composed of pelagic resources, a higher percentage than a year earlier, which was 59.6%. Anchovy, sardine and horse mackerel accounted for 33.9%, 22.5% and 7.5% of landings in the first nine months of 2011.

Most landings were concentrated in the regions V and X, which together received 923.000 tons, or 46.8% of the total. In regions XV to II, landings totalled 862.000 tons (43.7%) and regions III and IV accounted for 3.5%, representing 70.000 tons.

As to demersal catches in the first nine months of 2011 they totalled 14.124 tons of hake in the South, which is 17.6% lower than that recorded in the same period in 2010 (17.144 tons). The main landings were from the industrial fleet with 8.700 tons while artisanal vessels landed 5.500 tons.

Subpesca also reported that the landing of hake accumulated up to September of this year totalled 34.000 tons, representing a 6.1% fall compared to a year ago, 36.240 tons.

In the same period, the toothfish landings reached 1.700 tons, 14.8% less than in the first nine months of 2010 (1.960 tons). Golden kingklip was also down, 657 tons compared to 1.395, last year (52.9% down).

Likewise Chile’s National Marine Fisheries Service, (Sernapesca) reported that aquaculture harvests in the first eight months of this year amounted to 465.300 tons, which represents a rise of 8.5% over the same period in 2010, when 428.900 tons were harvested.

The main produce were mussels, Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout and Pacific salmon, which accounted respectively for 47.9%, 24.4%, 17.4% and 6 8% of total harvest.

Regions X and XI in the extreme south of Chile generated most of the harvests: a total of 331.000 tons and 122.300 tons, respectively. Mussels totalled 223.000 tons, 19.8% over the same period in 2010 (186.140 tons).

The Atlantic salmon harvest reached 113.400 tons, 48.4% more than the total volume Jan-August 2010 (76.430 tons). Most production came from the Regions XI (86.900 tons) and X (21.700 tons). Rainbow trout harvests totalled 80.770 tons, 38.7% less than the 131.820 tons of the same period a year ago.

Finally the Pacific salmon harvest totalled 31.650 tons in the nine months of 2011, which is 51.2% more than the amount accumulated in the same period in 2010 (20.925 tons). (FIS, MP).