February 20, 2009
Chile 2008 fish industry exports gain 8.7 percent to US$1.72 billion
Chile's ocean fishing industry exports totalled US$1.72 billion in 2008, up 8.7 percent from a year earlier, industry association Sonapesca said Thursday (February 19).
In terms of volume, fishing industry exports totalled 910,447 tonnes for the year, down 10.4 percent from 2007.
Fishmeal exports accounted for 54 percent of the sector's s exports, or 487,021 tonnes, down 0.3 percent from the previous year. In terms of value, fishmeal exports during 2008 fell 7 percent from the previous year to US$501.2 million, Sonapesca added.
The drop in fishmeal exports was due to lower international price for prime and superprime fishmeal, graded on their protein content and on reduced Jack mackerel catch. The species is a key ingredient in high-protein fishmeal. Higher grade fishmeal averaged US$1,070 a tonne in 2008, Sonaspesca said in a statement.
The group doesn't report on farmed salmon or trout exports.
