The strategy of finfish culture founding in Chile

The strategy of finfish culture founding in Chile

Masatoshi FUTAGAWA

CORDUNAP

February 28, 2012

Chile is trading country, concluded a treaty (FTA, EPA, TPP etc.) with 58 counties and exports primary industry materials such as copper ore, fruits and salmon etc. Economic situation of the country grows well and it join OECD in 2010. Salmons and trout exportation grew to 500 thousand ton (2.3 billion USD) in 2007 but there was an outbreak of virus (ISAV) and reduced to less than one half. Also, coastal fish resources decreased much due to overfishing and affect coastal life which is happening all over the world. Thus, it needs alternatives culture species of salmons to minimize risk and recover resource of coastal fish to improve coastal life. The keywords are “Sustainability”, “Minimum contamination” and “Less energy consumption”. I will write what are the needs and how to fish culture founding according to those key words.

1.    Conditions

1.1. Fish characters

Ideal habits for commercial culture are below.

• Easy to produce from larva to juvenile
• Fast growth; grow to marketable size in a minimum time, ideally less than one year
• Wide tolerance of water quality about WT, pH, DO, turbidity, ammonia and other chemical contamination 
• Low protein requirement, herbivorous or omnivorous are ideal, which reduce feeds cost
• Efficient feeds conversion
• Resist to parasites, bacteria, fungi and virus

1.2. Market

There are two markets, international and local market, and requirements are as follows.

International market

Merchandise is competitive in world market as large volume production, constant supply, standardized size and quality, safe (no contamination) and traceable production history regarding feeds and usage of chemical and medicine. Usually, the white fish meat , except tuna, the commonly known name and reasonable price.

Local market

The market requires seasonal variety, reasonable price and it should native species, volume is not much important. For example, Chilean soul fish, commonly known and adapted to Chilean culture, and high price such as flatfish “Lenguado”, Mulata, Cusk-eel “Congrio”, Yellowtail amberjack “Dorado” and Sward fish “Albacora”.

2.    Culture methods

There are three culture methods as below and it is important to integrate those methods to minimize risk. The methods depend on area condition and fish characters.

2.1. Cage culture

This method is ideal for mass production, like salmon production, due to lower water cost compare to land base culture. Chile has advantages for the method as availability of cage culture know-how and skilled workers from salmon industry, availability of local fish meal or fresh fish with minimum cost, clean water and steep bottom. Disadvantages are seasonal high wave sea condition and poaching by human and sea wolf. High wave problem can be solve by rearing off-shore (not much far due to steep bottom), using submersible cage or stop operation during high wave, few months only.

2.2. Land base culture

Chile has huge vacant land space. The area can be utilized for land base culture with earthen pond covered by liner and roofing with plastic to increase WT. This method is more secure and controllable than sea cage but higher  facilities cost. Thus, the method is good for high price fish.

2.3. Marine ranching

This is the ideal method to meet all the key words, this method was operated for more than 50 years in Japan and showed that some natural resources are recovered.  Rock fish juvenile, produced by ECRC (Extensive Continuous Rotifer Culture), release into artificial reef which designed minimize predation, at reservation area. Possibly, feeding if enhance productivity and harvest products, includes wild products, depending on the demands of local restaurant and hotel.

3.    Strategy

Most important point is to visualize fish culture after 10 years and integrate culture methods and candidate fish. Then concentrate force, fund and manpower of government, private and academic, coordinate results from sectors.  Projection with time table is revised after evaluation every year and the project will develop step by step.

Additionally, investors need too much time (years) to take permissions, even they intend to start aquaculture. For the development of aquaculture, it should make quick and simple, even government gives tax exemption to investors at beginning phase.

4.    Tactics

4.1.                      Candidates and locations (Fig. 1.)

Culture species selection is very important to minimize risk like environmental change (El niño) or disease prevalent (ISAV). Requirements of culture species are market size, price, production cost and ease of production. Also consider to wide water temperature range, warm and cold water (coast of north and south) and make some combination of species to minimize risk. Candidates species are shown below.

• Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii); Very high price, high demand internationally, available at off-Iquique (need survey for quantity). Very difficult to produce seed (Difficulty C+) but grow-out culture existing, ideal WT is above 22 ̊C. Growth is very fast but requires huge feeds (fresh fish). Possibly after Dorado culture established.
• Yellowtail amberjack “Dorado” (Seriola lalandi); High price, high demand internationally, available in northern part. Difficult to produce seed (Difficulty C), commercial hatchery exist. Ideal WT is 18 ̊C above. Grow fast and take feeds much.
• Japanese flounder “Hirame” (Paralichthys olivaceus); High demand internationally, medium price, exotic species but broodstock are available locally. Easy to produce seed (Difficulty A), all technologies are established. Ideal WT is 18 ̊C above and grow normal.
• Grape-eye seabass “Apañado” (Hemilutjanus macrophthalmos); Possible high demand internationally and local, medium price. Habit northern rocky coast. Probably not difficult seed production (Difficulty B). Ideal WT is 16 ̊C above and grow normal.
• Red cusk-eel “Congrio colorado” (Genypterus chilensis); High demand internationally and local, medium price. Habit southern rocky coast. Probably not difficult seed production (Difficulty B). Ideal WT is 16 ̊C and grow normal.
• Black wrasse “Mulata” (Graus nigra); High demand in local, good price. Habit southern rocky coast. Probably not difficult seed production (Difficulty B). Ideal WT is 16 ̊C and grow normal.

4.2. Methods (Fig.2.)

Cage poly-culture and marine ranching

Intensive culture gives high stress and it reduces immunization of fish then trigger to disease infection (parasite, virus and bacteria). Intensive method has no sustainability which evidence of salmon culture, prawn culture history. Therefore, I recommend integrate culture such as combination of cage culture, medium density poly-culture, and marine ranching. This idea comes from IMTA (Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture) in which project was operated in Canada, UK, EU, Israel, Chile and China. The idea is nutrition from cage culture, excess of feeds and feces utilize to shellfish and macroalga culture and minimize environmental contamination and enhance profit.

Culturing Dorado (8 Kg/m³) in cage with San pedro (100 ind./cage) which cleaning cage. Shelters are installed under the cages and release Congrio, Mulata and Apañado juvenile in it, excess feeds and feces from cage will grow fish and minimize bottom contamination.

4.3. Land base culture and macroalga culture (Fig.3.)

Hirame land base culture with RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture System) to increase WT and growth. Drain water path to macroalga and mollusks culture tank to remove nutrition, and minimize contamination for environment. The idea is similar to IMTA which culture with abalone and seaweed.