Despite long-term trends, some Chilean salmon farmers increasing antibiotic usage

Salmon farming companies that are members of the SalmonChile trade association collectively reduced their antibiotic usage by close to 15 percent between 2019 and 2020, but the amount applied by some major companies rose, and the most recent figures indicate usage may climb in 2021.

The fall in the use of antibiotics coincides with the wider application of non-medicinal treatments to combat the spread of disease and sea lice.

Under the Chile Salmon Antibiotic Reduction Program (CSARP), a partnership between SalmonChile, the Chilean Salmon Marketing Council and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the industry set a target of reducing its antibiotics usage to 206 grams per metric ton harvested -- a 50 percent cut -- by 2025.