Aquaculture

Aquaculture

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...

 is a major economical activity in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

. Among the diverse aquacultures practised in Chile Atlantic salmon

Atlantic salmon

The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....

 aquaculture is the overwhemingly largest sector. Until 2007 Chile experienced over 15 years a huge growth in its salmon aquaculture becoming the second largest salmon and trout

Trout

Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...

 producer after Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. By 2006 Chile contributed with 38% of the worlds salmon volume just behind Norway that produced 39% of it. In 2006 salmon from Chilean aquacultures was the third largest export product in terms value, representing 3,9 of Chilean exports behind copper

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...

 and molybdenum

Molybdenum

Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...

.

Apart from salmon and trout Chilean aquaculture also grow turbot

Turbot

The turbot is a species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is native to marine or brackish waters of the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.-Etymology:...

s and molluscs in particular Mytilus chilensis

Mytilus chilensis

Mytilus chilensis, also called the Chilean mussel or Chilean blue mussel is a type of blue mussel native to the coasts of Chile and the Falkland Islands.-Aquaculture:...

, Northern scallops, Pacific oyster

Pacific oyster

The Pacific oyster, Japanese oyster or Miyagi oyster , is an oyster native to the Pacific coast of Asia. It has become an introduced species in North America, Australia, Europe, and New Zealand.- Etymology :...

s, Aulacomya ater (a giant mussel), red abalone

Red abalone

The red abalone, Haliotis rufescens, is a species of very large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Haliotidae, the abalones, ormer shells or paua....

, and Chilean oysters. In terms of algae

Algae

Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...

 Gracillaria chilensis is cultivated and havrested. The main areas of aquaculture in Chile lies in the southern half of the country in particular in the interior waters of Los Lagos Region

Los Lagos Region

Los Lagos Region is one of Chile's 15 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains the country's second largest island, Chiloé, and the second largest lake, Llanquihue.Its capital is Puerto Montt;...

 and to a lesser extent the fjord

Fjord

Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...

s and channels of more southern Aysén

Aysen Region

The XI Aisén Region of General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo , also spelled Aysén, is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Although the third largest in area, the region is Chile's most sparsely populated region with a population of 105,000. The capital of the region is Coihaique, the...

 and Magallanes regions.

Aquaculture in Chile is regulated by the 1989 Fisheries and Aquaculture Law, and concession

Concession (contract)

A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...

s on waterbodies and other state property for establishment of aquacultures are granted by the Ministry of Defence

Ministry of National Defense (Chile)

The Ministry of National Defense is the cabinet-level administrative office in charge of "maintaining the independence and sovereignty" of Chile. It is also charged with planning, directing, coordinating, executing, controlling and informing the defense policies formulated by the President of...

.

Chilean salmon crisis

The industry has suffered a severe recessesion since the sudden appareance and outbreak of infectious salmon anemia

Infectious salmon anemia

Infectious salmon anemia or anaemia is a viral disease of Atlantic Salmon that affects fish farms in Canada, Norway, Scotland and Chile, causing severe losses to infected farms...

 in 2007 coupled with the Late-2000s financial crisis

Late-2000s financial crisis

The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...

. This have led the crisis to have been labeled "the perfect storm" by a Chilean salmon executive. Atlantic salmon

Atlantic salmon

The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....

production in Chile has fallen from 400,000 to 100,000 tonnes from 2005 to 2010. As of 2009 a salmon executive expected production to go back to the 2007 levels within four years.