Salmones Antártica certifies 100 percent of production chain under ASC
Chilean salmon-farming firm Salmones Antártica announced it has received certification from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) for its feed plant, making it one of the first integrated companies to certify 100 percent of its production chain under the standard.
The company said the move “closes a virtuous circle of sustainable development,” consolidating itself as a key player in the transition toward more sustainable, responsible aquaculture. The move also follows the certification of all of the firm’s harvested biomass under ASC and 4-Star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) in 2024.
“This is a great milestone for our company. The ASC certification of the feed plant reinforces our commitment to sustainability and positions us at the forefront of the industry, complying with key requirements that will become mandatory as of the last quarter of this year,” Salmones Antártica Technical Manager Paulo Palacios Achui said in a company release.
Salmones Antártica, established in 1982, is owned by Nippon Suisan América Latina, which in turn is part of the Japanese holding company Nissui. It has operations on Chiloé Island and in Puerto Aysén, Chile.
It is currently building a USD 17 million (EUR 14.9 million) fish farm called Los Ciruelos in southern Chile’s Los Lagos region, for which it has environmental permission dating from 2008 that was revalidated in 2016.
Recently, Indigenous groups filed a protection appeal seeking to halt the project’s development, but the Valdivia Court of Appeals ruled in favor of its continued construction.
With an authorized annual production of 872 metric tons per year, the project boasts water collection and treatment systems, outdoor ponds and hatcheries, administrative and support buildings, and technology to optimize efficiency and sustainability. Salmones Antártica has hired about 200 workers during the current construction phase and will employ 64 in the operation phase.
