Salmon farming in Chile - all the way to Patagonia
Along the wild coasts of southern Chile, pristine waters and dramatic landscapes combine to create an ideal environment for farming salmon.
In this untamed land, home to active volcanoes and earthquakes, Cermaq Chile works together with local communities to produce Atlantic salmon, Coho salmon and Steelhead trout.
Farming practices
It takes up to three years, depending on the species, to grow our fish from egg to harvest-ready adult. To optimize the quality and the welfare of the fish, our processing plants are located on Chiloé Island for the salmon farmed in Regions X and XI, and in Punta Arenas for the salmon farmed in Region XII.
Most of our farming sites consist of between sixteen and twenty square pens that are linked together. We keep capacity low – around 16 kg of fish per cubic meter – in each pen to give our fish plenty of room to swim and move comfortably. We employ biosecurity measures at every site, and employees follow strict routines each time they enter.
Both outside and over the pens, we use nets to avoid conflicts between our fish and predators like birds and sea lions.
Quality
We are committed to producing the highest quality salmon with the most natural, sustainable approach possible. We believe in using environmental, non-medicinal preventatives wherever possible to ensure the health of our fish and the purity of our products. Our processing plants supply a broad variety of products from fresh whole fish to ready-to-eat frozen products meeting strictest quality standards and customer specifications.