MARKET

Chilean salmon exports fall 1.5% in the first half of 2025

Santiago de Chile, 6 August 2025 | Atlantic salmon exports made up 68.9% of the total, with stable volumes. Coho salmon exports, however, decreased by 5.2%, primarily due to a drop in shipments to Japan, its main market

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Chile exported 361,000 tonnes of salmon in the first half of 2025, representing a 1.5% decline compared with the same period in 2024, according to Chilean Salmon Council, marking a second consecutive year of falling first-semester volumes, reflecting a slowdown after years of marginal increases.

Despite this, export revenues rose 3% year-on-year, reaching US$ 3.086 billion, consolidating salmon as Chile’s leading non-mining export product with 15% of non-cooper exports and 69% of seafood export value.

By species, Atlantic salmon accounted for 68.9% of exports, maintaining stable volumes. Coho salmon, on the other hand, fell by 5.2% mainly due to lower shipments to Japan, which remains the primary market for this species.

In terms of destinations, the United States and Brazil recorder growth of 4.2% and 2.2% respectively, while Japan declined 17.6%, placing it below 60,000 tonnes. Russia doubled its imports, reaching 22,000 tonnes in the first half of the year.

The Council highlights that salmon is exported from eight regions and 15 ports or border points, underpinning a nationally integrated logistics network. Fresh salmon is predominantly shipped by air to the United States and by road to Brazil, whereas frozen formats are sent by sea to Japan to meet the market’s stringent quality standards.

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