Salmones Camanchaca harvested 55,495 tonnes of fish last year

Chilean fish farmer Salmones Camanchaca harvested 17,731 tonnes (whole fish equivalent) of salmon in the fourth quarter of last year, and 55,495 tonnes for the whole of 2023, it said in a trading update.

Camanchaca harvested 8,783 tonnes of Atlantic salmon with an average weight of 4.5 kilos in Q4. The fish had an ex-cage cost of US $4.89/kg WFE.

The company also harvested 8,948 tonnes of coho salmon with an average weight of 4.1 kg and an ex-cage cost of $4.30/Kg WFE in Q4.

Sales during the quarter were approximately 12,800 tonnes of Atlantic salmon and 1,200 tonnes of coho salmon.

Fewer coho in 2024

Camanchaca estimates that it will harvest between 46,000 - 48,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon and between 4,000 - 5,000 tonnes of coho salmon this year.

In its Q3 2023 report released last November, Salmones Camanchaca revealed that it was cutting back on production of coho salmon in 2024 due to a drop in price and demand and a currency devaluation in Japan, which buys around two thirds of Chilean coho.

The company had previously been increasing its output of coho due to the biological advantages of the species compared to Atlantic salmon. Coho is naturally resistant to sea lice and reaches harvest size before the worst time for harmful algal blooms (HABs).

The company’s full Q4 2023 report will be released on February 21.