Chile exports salmon around the world. The industry is barely 30 years old but has become one of the country’s most important export businesses.

In 2018, several hundred thousand salmon escaped from their pen. Environmental groups and local communities labelled it a disaster.
The growing industry and changing economy means traditional fishing, which has been a way of life for generations, is beginning to disappear.

Correspondent Joel Richards traveled to the southern part of the country to find out more.

One country in which demand for Chilean salmon has expanded is China. Exports for the fish doubled in 2018, according to news services for the salmon business. China received over 38,000 tons of it. Other big exporters for the country’s salmon are Brazil, Russia, the U.S. and Japan.