Chile’s fisheries authority Sernapesca has introduced a new protocol governing the registration, use, and oversight of fish and aquaculture oil by-products — specifically fatty acids used in salmon feed production.
The protocol entered into force in 2026 and applies to producers, refiners, and traders handling these materials along the supply chain.
The central objective is tighter origin control across the full production chain, from generation to final use. Sernapesca has assigned specific classification codes to differentiate products including acidulated oils, fatty acids, and stearins, enabling consistent tracking in official systems.
All processors and traders must now declare their processes, stocks, and destinations. Every raw material used must carry legal-origin accreditation.
For imported fatty acids, declarations must be submitted via Chile’s Solicitud Única de Ingreso (SUI) system, accompanied by legal-origin certificates (CAOL) and the exporting country’s sanitary certificate. Products must enter Sernapesca’s traceability system before any commercial use.
The protocol prohibits mixing stocks of fishery and non-fishery origin. Sernapesca will not certify or accredit products resulting from such mixing, effectively removing them from the regulated supply chain.
The authority said the measures aim to prevent by-products from being used to launder resources derived from illegal fishing — a practice that undermines market credibility and supply chain integrity.
The move reflects growing pressure from international buyers for certified, traceable inputs in salmon feed. How effectively Sernapesca enforces compliance across the full industrial cluster — particularly for imported materials — will determine whether the protocol delivers meaningful change.
