Sernapesca staff performing inspections. (Photo: Sernapesca)

Sernapesca monitors dead salmon movement

CHILE
Tuesday, March 08, 2016, 00:50 (GMT + 9)

The director of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service, José Miguel Burgos, conducted on ground inspections of fishing vessels, fishmeal plants and farming centres in order to monitor and supervise actions being carried out by companies affected by massive algal blooms. This phenomenon has affected Los Lagos Region for two weeks and has caused salmon death significant increase since last Monday.

Until Friday March 4 the number of affected companies totalled 12, with 29 farming centres having mortalities that exceeded 13 million fish, which has meant the movement of 26,000 tonnes of dead salmon.

The fish die from suffocation produced by microalgae, which maintains high levels of concentration due to mass bloom caused by rising water temperatures, lack of wind and rain associated with climate phenomenon El Niño.

Burgos highlighted the efforts being made by several of the companies involved to remove the dead fish from the cages at appropriate times in order to prevent a health emergency. For this purpose, the entire fleet of the region of Los Lagos and further eight boats of Biobio region are operating so as to increase the capture and processing capacity of mortalities.

In the case of those mortalities whose advanced level of decomposition makes it impossible for them to be processed into fishmeal, the elimination in the ocean outside 60 miles is being evaluated with the Chilean Navy. This move is intended to avoid any risk to human health, as indicated in the London Protocol governing the disposal of waste at sea at international level.

"Our intention is that this does not happen, we will do everything possible and therefore the control is important, so that only what effectively offers no other alternative is destined for disposal in the ocean, it must be remembered that Chile is member of the London Protocol allowing this possibility under strict conditions, but it must be absolutely justified," pointed out the national director of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Sernapesca last week published a resolution of force majeure in order to provide all the facilities to streamline procedures associated with the movement of living fish from the affected centres to other centres with better conditions as well as to authorize requests for early harvests.

In addition, mortalities are being derived to fishmeal plants in the Region of Los Lagos, and on Friday two plants in the Biobio were added to increase the processing capacity.

Dead salmon have also been taken to places authorized by the Health Service, with which approximately 14,000 tonnes have been caught out of the 26,000 tonnes of mortality recorded to date.

Related articles:

- High mortality of salmon due to algae will be processed into fishmeal
- Salmon farming shares fall nearly 10pc due to harmful algal event
- Camanchaca loses 1.5 million salmon due to harmful algae

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