By Pedro Pablo Laporte, General Manager of Salmones Blumar; and Gabriel Jerez, Farming Manager at Salmones Blumar
Salmon farming is one of the most dynamic productive activities in southern Chile and, as such, one of the most closely scrutinized food industries worldwide. Like any activity that interacts with the natural environment, it raises legitimate questions about how it operates. Today, the answers to these concerns are grounded not in perceptions, but in scientific and technological evidence that has transformed the industry over the past decade.
Leading this activity means transitioning from traditional production toward precision aquaculture. The good news is that Chile now has cutting-edge technologies and rigorous oversight standards that help ensure sustainable and transparent development, while providing food for millions of people around the world.
Artificial Intelligence to Protect the Environment
One of the most significant milestones in modern technical management is the optimization of feeding practices. Today, Blumar’s farming sites operate as true digital laboratories.
We use monitoring systems equipped with high-definition underwater cameras and sensors that, supported by artificial intelligence algorithms, allow us to observe fish behavior in milliseconds. This technology tells us with scientific precision when the salmon are satiated, instantly stopping feed delivery.
The efficiency here is twofold: we help significantly reduce feed losses, since a feeding strategy that gradually decreases throughout the day, combined with appropriate satiety signals, makes it possible to optimize both production performance and the environmental management of farming sites. In modern aquaculture, every pellet counts, and its efficient management is a key part of our environmental responsibility.
Food Safety: Export Standards as a Guarantee
Animal health is a fundamental pillar that we address through a preventive medicine approach. When health treatments are strictly necessary, we apply them under biosecurity protocols that rank among the most rigorous in the world.
A key technical concept here is the Withdrawal Period. This is a controlled period of time—which at Blumar we rigorously extend beyond regulatory requirements—to ensure that fish naturally metabolize any treatment before harvest, in full compliance with the requirements of each destination market.
To ensure this, each batch of salmon is tested for residues by independent laboratories certified by Sernapesca, meeting the requirements of highly demanding markets such as the United States, Japan, and the European Union. The result is a product that complies with the limits and requirements established by regulatory authorities and destination markets.
Along the same lines, animal health is one of the pillars of salmon production and is supported by strict prevention, monitoring, and control protocols. When antibiotic treatments are required, they are administered exclusively under veterinary prescription for diagnosed diseases, never as growth promoters or as part of routine preventive use.
In addition, mandatory withdrawal periods must be observed before harvest to ensure that the product meets food safety requirements in Chile and international markets. Compliance is verified through testing conducted by accredited laboratories and inspections carried out by the relevant health authorities.
Progressively reducing antibiotic use is one of the main challenges facing modern salmon farming. In Blumar’s case, the company has reduced its antibiotic use by 16% compared with 2017 and, together with the program led by the international NGO Monterey Bay Aquarium, has committed to continuing to advance toward further reduction targets and improved fish health.
This work has been supported by preventive measures in animal health, vaccination, biosecurity, and fish welfare. As a result, five Blumar farming sites obtained PROA certification (Program for the Optimization of Antimicrobial Use) in 2025, under the antibiotic-free category.
The Rotation and Fallowing System
Contrary to the idea of static occupation, modern salmon farming operates under a dynamic ecosystem-based model. Through Salmonid Concession Groups (ACS), or “neighborhoods,” we coordinate production cycles that include mandatory sanitary fallowing periods. During these months, sites remain free of human activity and fish, allowing the ecosystem’s natural processes to continue before a new production cycle begins. This rotational fallowing model is essential to ecosystem health and helps ensure the long-term sustainability of the activity, while respecting the natural cycles of southern Chilean waters.
An Evolved Diet: Toward Marine Protein Sovereignty
Feed composition is perhaps where science has made the greatest strides. We have moved from diets dependent on marine resources to a highly efficient, multi-source formula that maintains the fish’s essential nutritional requirements for healthy growth and development, while incorporating alternative raw materials to make diets less dependent on marine ingredients.
Today, our salmon feed incorporates not only marine ingredients, but also plant-based proteins such as lupin and wheat, yeasts, and Omega-3-rich microalgae oils. This innovation means that Chilean salmon is now a “net protein producer”: thanks to its highly efficient feed conversion, the industry provides the world with a much greater volume of high-quality fish than the amount required for its growth. It is one of the most efficient ways to produce animal protein with high nutritional value.
Continuous Improvement as the Only Way Forward
Sustainability is not a static state, but rather a process of continuous improvement. Challenges such as adapting to climate change, coexisting with other uses of coastal areas, and strengthening health prevention are among the issues driving innovation and the development of new solutions for the industry.
At Blumar, we believe that an informed conversation about salmon farming must be grounded in transparency and evidence. The industry has undergone a profound transformation over recent decades, incorporating new technologies, higher control standards, and a better understanding of the ecosystems in which it operates. The challenge is to continue moving in this direction, strengthening food production that combines efficiency, responsibility, and continuous improvement.
