Environment, sustainability and regulation in commercial aquaculture: The case of Chilean salmonid production

Chilean salmon aquaculture has exhibited dynamic growth since its introduction on a commercial scale in the early 1980s (IFOP, 1994). The indicators of growth show no immediate signs of abating, despite lower prices, and Chilean production now ranks second only to Norway in international production. The industry's efficiency and profitability depends primarily on two factors: optimal food utilisation to achieve a maximal rate of growth at a minimum cost and the control of mortality in the farmed fish population. The management of these factors has direct and indirect effects on the fresh water and marine environments of production sites. Many of these effects can be linked to the contamination of aquatic environments. The regulation of the industry to control these effects will determine its sustainability. This paper argues two points. The first point is that responsibility for the monitoring and regulation of the salmon aquaculture industry should lie with the state, especially in terms of environmental quality. The second point is the need to establish the degree to which intensive salmon aquaculture in Chile is sustainable at its current rate of expansion. In both cases, it is stressed that state regulation should be broader and more efficient than at present if the industry is to have a more sustainable future. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.