Chile fisheries slump and trade impacts

In early 2026 Chile’s total fish catches fell 41% between January and May, dropping to 817,000 tonnes—the lowest level in a decade. The decline affected industrial and artisanal fleets and was driven by sharp reductions in key pelagic species such as jurel, sardine and anchoveta. While overall landings fell, aquaculture partly offset the loss, posting a 6% year‑on‑year increase and a 13% rise in fish harvests.

By late July, the shortage of jurel had become acute as warmer surface waters linked to El Niño forced the fish to deeper, cooler zones, leaving about 80% of the industrial fleet idle in the Biobío region and raising concerns over employment for processing‑plant families. At the same time, the United States imposed a 12.5% additional tariff on Chilean salmon imports, citing a lack of legislation on forced‑labour imports. Chile’s salmon council warned that the duty threatens the country’s primary export market and urged diplomatic action to reverse the tariff.