The top executive of a joint venture set up to market and sell Chilean salmon in the Chinese market says the discovery of COVID-19 on a salmon chopping board in Beijing's Xinfandi market and the resulting media fallout is "a serious situation" for the industry.

Nicolas Terrazas, CEO of New World Currents, a joint venture representing Chilean salmon companies Blumar, Granja Marina Tornagaleones and Cultivos Yadran in China, said the market fallout has been swift.

"This is having a significant effect on many companies, and all countries of origin, not only Chile," Terrazas told IntraFish.