Chile Case: The Spatial Planning of Marine Cage Farming (Salmon)

Adolfo Alvial1

ABSTRACT

Chilean salmon farming has shown an impressive growth. In about 25 years the country became the leader as farmed trout producer and the second as farmed salmon producer. In general, regulations moved back the industry growth generating several gaps that did not help in preventing environmental/sanitary problems.

In fact in 2007 the ISA crisis caused an enormous impact on the industry with important socioeconomic consequences. This fact pushes for a rapid and profound change in regulations triggering the spatial management that complement the initial Appropriate Areas for Aquaculture (AAA) and Licenses. Then spatially connected Groups of licenses (AMA’s or neighbourhoods) were established as well as Macro zones.
Presently an integrated spatial management system is in place which, in spite of its weaknesses, has contributed to coordinate efforts to control diseases, improve efficacy of measures in front of a sanitary risk and create better conditions for environmental/sanitary recovery of the macro zone. Notwithstanding, improvements have to be done to move closer to an ecosystem approach to aquaculture, principally emphasizing carrying capacity studies and tools, interaction with communities and other sectors and also increasing participation and developing an incentives regime. The highest contributions of the AMA’s system have been the increase in social capital in the industry and the development of highest levels of public-private interaction.

1 The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO or the World Bank Group.

Alvial, A. 2017. Chile Case: The Spatial Planning of Marine Cage Farming (Salmon). In J. Aguilar-Manjarrez, D. Soto & R. Brummett. Aquaculture zoning, site selection and area management under the ecosystem approach to aquaculture. Full document, pp. 170–197. Report ACS113536. Rome, FAO, and World Bank Group, Washington, DC. 395 pp.