May 20, 2009
Chile Q1 fish industry exports gain 12 percent on-year to US$333.8 million
Chile's ocean fishing industry exports totaled US$333.8 million in the first quarter of the year, up 12 percent from the same period a year earlier, industry association Sonapesca said Tuesday (May 19).
In terms of volume, fishing industry exports totaled 213,070 tonnes for the quarter, up 26 percent from January-March 2008.
Fishmeal exports accounted for 55 percent of the sector's exports, or 116,652 tonnes, up 27 percent from the first three months of 2008. In terms of value, fishmeal exports during the quarter rose 26 percent on the year to US$108.1 million, Sonapesca added.
The increase in fishmeal exports was due to bigger Jack mackerel, sardine and anchovy catches. The species are the key ingredients in so-called prime and superprime fishmeals, which have higher protein content. Higher grade fishmeal averaged US$927 a tonne during the quarter, which "isn't a large fluctuation" from the previous quarter, Sonaspesca said in a statement.
The group doesn't report on farmed salmon or trout exports.
