Atlantic salmon

Salmo salar

4: OK - Needs improvement How we work out the ratings

What to check for

Location

All areas

Production method

Open net pen, marine

Rating summary

Atlantic salmon is Chile are farmed in open net pens in the sea. Producing fish in open systems can cause environmental impacts such as: impacts of chemical and sea lice treatment usage; nutrient and organic waste deposition; outbreaks of disease; impacts on wild salmonids by transmission of sea lice, and escapes from farms. In Chile, the regulation and management of the aquaculture industry is poor in relation to other salmon producing countries. There is also a lack of evidence of welfare measures in place. Salmon are carnivorous fish and rely on wild capture fisheries to produce their feed, MCS would like to see all these fish certified as sustainably managed. Due to the ongoing nature of as yet unresolved environmental impacts of salmon farming MCS is advocating a halt in industry expansion using existing practices until these can be resolved.Rating last updated May 2023.

Technical consultation summary

How we worked out this Rating

Salmon farming in marine open net pens has a negative impact on the environment.The environmental impacts of Chilean salmon farming are different to other producing countries as Atlantic salmon is not native to Chile. Habitat alteration is small scale through the use of mooring grids only and does not impact ecosystem functionality. All juveniles used in salmon aquaculture in Chile come from hatcheries, and cleaner fish are not widely used.All salmon farms in Chile rely on chemical usage. Fish farms use a range of medicines and products containing chemicals, such as disinfectants and antifoulants to ensure the health and welfare of the fish they grow and to maintain and protect the farm infrastructure and equipment (e.g. pens and boats). Chile has one of the highest rates of antibiotic use in salmon production in the world. There are no regulatory limits on the frequency or total quantity of antibiotics used should a disease outbreak occur, but various initiatives are underway to attempt to address the problem. There are also no limits on pesticide use, in terms of frequency or total dose. Total nutrient discharges from salmon farms in Chile appear large. At the site level, the monitoring of soluble nutrient effluents in the water column is not mandated in the regulations and it is thought that the regulatory framework is ineffective.Chilean aquaculture has a problem with both pathogens and parasites. In particular, the pathogen Piscririckettsia salmonis and the sea lice parasite, Caligus rogercresseyi. However, the impact of pathogens or parasites on wild fish populations is unknown. There is a risk of escapes of farmed salmon, however, as Atlantic salmon are not native to Chile and evidence suggests that escapes are not able to establish themselves, there is limited environmental impact. There is potential interactions between farmed salmon and sea lice, however, this is not thought to include lethal control with predator nets being the main mitigation strategy.

References

BioMar, 2022. Global Sustainability Report. Available at https://www.biomar.com/globalassets/.global/sustainability-report/biomar-global-sustainability-report-2022.pdf [Accessed on 28.04.2023].

BioMar, 2022. Marine Ingredients Position Statement. Available at https://www.biomar.com/globalassets/.global/pdf-files/2022-03-en_position-statement_marine-ingredients_ver.1_digital.pdf [Accessed on 01.11.2022].

Cargill, 2021. Cargill Aqua Nutrition Sustainability Report. Available at: https://www.cargill.com/doc/1432219325606/cargill-aqua-nutrition-sustainability-report-2021.pdf [Accessed on 01.11.2022].

Charles Ehler, personal communication via email, 26.08.2019.

FAO. Chile. Available at https://firms.fao.org/fi/website/FIRetrieveAction.do?dom=countrysector&xml=naso_chile.xml&lang=en [Accessed on 28.04.2023].

Intrafish. 2019. Here are the largest recorded farmed Atlantic salmon escapes in history. Available at https://www.intrafish.com/aquaculture/here-are-the-largest-recorded-farmed-atlantic-salmon-escapes-in-history/2-1-388082 [Accessed on 15.04.2020].

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. 2021. Atlantic and Coho Salmon. Chile. Marine Net Pens. Available at https://www.seafoodwatch.org/globalassets/sfw-data-blocks/reports/s/mba_seafoodwatch_atlantic_coho_salmon_chile.pdf [Accessed on 28.04.2023].

OECD. 2011. - Chile going green- , in Maintaining Momentum: OECD Perspectives on Policy Challenges in Chile, OECD Publishing, Paris. Available at https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/maintaining-momentum/chile-going-green_9789264095199-11-en;jsessionid=cd7x4FtNd-hdqANOV4gQCHZCBDtMAQOPpIkIBHID.ip-10-240-5-186 [Accessed on 15.05.2023].

Quinones, R. A., Fuentes, M., Montes, R. M., Soto, D. and Leon-Munoz, J. 2019. Environmental issues in Chilean salmon farming: a review. Reviews in Aquaculture, 11(375-402). Available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/raq.12337 [Accessed on 15.05.2023].

Skretting. 2019. Sustainability Report. Available at https://www.skretting.com/siteassets/global-files/nuterra/sustainability-report-2019/skretting-sustainability-report-2019.pdf [Accessed on 09.09.2020].

Skretting. 2020. Sustainable soy. Available at https://www.skretting.com/en/sustainability/ingredients/sustainable-soy/ [Accessed on 12.02.2020].

Skretting. 2020. Sustainable soy. Available at https://www.skretting.com/en/sustainability/ingredients/sustainable-soy/ [Accessed on 13.04.2020].

The David & Lucile Packard Foundation. 2019. Chile Marine Strategy 2019-2021. Available at https://www.packard.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Chile-Marine-Strategy-2019-2021-02.19.pdf [Accessed: 26.08.2019].

Undercurrent News. 2020. Cargill to win Chile market share with settlements over feed price-fixing. Available at https://www.undercurrentnews.com/2020/02/13/cargill-to-win-chile-market-share-with-settlements-over-feed-price-fixing/ [Accessed on 13.04.2020].

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