AMERICA/CHILE - Artisanal fishing destined mainly for export

Algarrobo (Agenzia Fides) - In Chile, artisanal fishing accounts for over 90% of fisheries worldwide, and workers in the sector, about half of whom are women. According to the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of FAO, artisanal fishing provides about 50% of the world market and it is estimated that, together with aquaculture, provide livelihoods to 10-12% of the world population. In the town of Algarrobo, on Chile's central coast, 100 kilometers west of Santiago, there are only older fishermen and young people are not interested in pursuing this activity, because they prefer to study. Official figures indicate that 92% of the activity is connected with fishing, 5% with the extraction of algae and the rest with seafood. Out ot the total number of workers in the sector, 94,164 workers are artisanal fishermen and just over 22,700 are women, according to estimates of the National Service of Fisheries and Aquaculture. It is estimated that every year more than three million fish is caught in Chile. However, the consumption in the country reaches only 6.9 pounds per person yearly, since a significant proportion of the resources brought by industrial fishing is exported. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 25/02/2016)

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