Frutillar, Wednesday, March 20. There was music, emotion and extreme camaraderie. There were also opportunities for reflection, reunions and an ideal context for networking.

Within the framework of the most important aquaculture fair in the southern hemisphere, the so-called AQUASUR Night was held at the Teatro del Lago in Frutillar, an event that brought together various sectors of the national aquaculture industry in a relaxed context and ended with a cocktail on the shores of Lake Llanquihue.

At around 8 p.m., various personalities began to arrive at the venue, considered the most beautiful in the country for its natural enclave, located on the shore of Lake Llanquihue. Thus, for example, the Brazilian Ambassador to Chile, Paulo Pacheco; the Secretary of State of the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Even Tronstad; the Norwegian Ambassador to Chile, Jostein Leiro; the executive director of the Salmon Council, Loreto Seguel; the president of SalmonChile, Arturo Clément; among others, and together with the organizers: Francisco Sotomayor, CEO of GL events Chile, and Rodrigo Lobo, general manager of Fisa.

After the cocktail reception, the attendees entered the main amphitheater and watched the performance of a string quartet. After the applauded intervention, a video summary of the first days of AQUASUR was shown and a greeting from Eve Crowley, FAO representative in Chile, who addressed the concept of blue transformation.

“We know that world population growth, economic development and enormous pressure have increased the demand for high quality food and protein, and have generated a change in food references, based on food systems that require a more intensive use of resources,” said the delegate.

After the registration, Paula Miranda, manager of AQUASUR, delivered a greeting in which she highlighted the process of change faced by the aquaculture industry, the possibilities offered by Chile’s maritime nature and the importance of the products with respect to the food of the future.

“We are more sea than land, how can we not think of ourselves as an aquaculture nation, with emphasis on that? Let this be our possible future. For that we need to have human quality. Human quality to listen, to share imaginary, to create this collective imaginary and allow the birth of the processes of change”, said Miranda.

Rodrigo Carrasco, executive director of AmiChile, emphasized the contribution of the product. “We provide around 18,000 jobs in total, of which approximately 12,500 are direct. And this is particularly gratifying, because we are in locations where there would be no other productive activity if it were not for mitiliculture,” he said, while Arturo Clement, president of SalmonChile, affirmed that “salmon farming has been and is the best example of decentralization and regionalism, as well as being the main engine of development in southern Chile”.

“This joint development in recent decades would not be possible without the commitment of each of you to carry out your work not only with excellence, but also with great passion,” he added.

Finally, the Undersecretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Even Tronstad Sagebakken, celebrated his participation in AQUASUR. “It has been a great experience. During two days I have met a lot of people from all over the world, which has been very nice. New friendships and business relationships have been established. But most importantly, I can now go back to Norway and tell my boss, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, that I have learned a lot of new things. So a big thank you to everyone.