Antibiotics in chilean aquaculture: a review

Abstract

Aquaculture in Chile has been practiced since the 1920s; however, it was not until the 1990s that aquaculture became an important sector here. Important species in Chilean aquaculture include salmonids, algae, mollusks, and turbot. Salmonids are the dominant species in Chilean aquaculture for both harvest volume and export value, their production reaching greater than 800-thousand tons in 2015. However, this growth has been accompanied by an increase in disease presence, requiring greater drug use to control. This increase in drug use is an environmental and public health concern for the authorities, the salmon industry itself, and the destination markets. In this chapter, we review the literature on drug use, antibiotic resistance, regulatory framework, and alternatives, with focus on Chile.