USSEC Spearheads Launch of New Latin American Sustainable Aquaculture Regional Alliance

Organization for Sustainable Aquaculture (OLAS) to enhance growth of Latin America’s burgeoning aquaculture industry

The U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), in collaboration with leading aquaculture associations, has formed the Latin American Organization for Sustainable Aquaculture (OLAS), a strategic regional alliance aimed at enhancing the global competitiveness of Latin America’s aquaculture sector through sustainability, technological innovation and regional cooperation.

Unveiled during the Latin American Sustainable Aquaculture Summit held in Panama City in June, OLAS is the first organization to unite regional leaders from Latin America’s shrimp, tilapia, salmon and aquafeed sectors under a permanent platform for technical cooperation, dialogue and joint action.

Jairo Amezquita, USSEC’s Aquaculture Program Manager for the Americas, was appointed as Executive Delegate to OLAS, tasked with aligning technical strategies and coordinating initiatives between both entities.

USSEC, the international marketing arm for U.S.-grown soy and soybean products, has identified aquaculture as a high-growth segment in Latin America. Rising populations, economic growth and middle-class expansion leading to higher protein consumption and an increased demand for sustainably grown products has created new opportunities across Latin America’s growing aquaculture sector.[1]

In the 2023-24 market year, Latin American aquacultural producers fed 870,400 metric tons of soy, a key feed ingredient in global aquaculture production systems.[2] USSEC projects a 42% growth potential for soy-based aquaculture production in Latin America over the next 10 years.

In addition to spearheading the formation of OLAS, USSEC is leading efforts to secure seed funding for OLAS’s launch and operational sustainability.

Under a shared agenda, OLAS will focus on goals aimed at responsible, sustainable growth for Latin America aquaculture including:

Representing seven countries and a cross-section of the aquaculture sector, elected committee officers are Carlos Robles, Executive Director of Fedeacua and Alejandro Vargas, Executive Director of Fenacuacol, representing tilapia from Colombia; Natalia Nuñez, Director of Communications for Concejo del Salmon and Marcela Bravo Technical Director of Salmon Chil, representing salmon from Chile; Juan G. Balda of Grupo Almar and Gabriel Biguria, CEO of Acuamaya, representing shrimp from Ecuador and Guatemala; and Laura Pasculli, Director of Feed Chamber of ANDI and Héctor Morillo, Executive Director of Agrifeed, representing aquafeed from Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

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This release is funded in part by the soy checkoff.

[1] https://ussec.org/market-insights/americas

[2] Approximate inclusion rate of 26% using interpretations based on disaggregated data from personal communications with industry members and calculations through the IAFFD https://www.iaffd.com/