January 31, 2014
Chile starts collecting salmon cages with ISA virus
The harvesting of cages with infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) in Traiguen 1 centre, belonging to Invertec Pesquera Mar de Chiloe (Invermar) company, started on Tuesday (Jan 28) as reported by Chile''s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca).
The measure was announced by the national director of the Service, Cecilia Solis Fernandez, after the confirmation of the virus emergence in this salmon farming centre located in the central part of Chiloe Island.
Sernapesca authorised the concerned company to take mitigation and containment steps according to the biosecurity protocols established, and indicated that it will oversee the process at all stages. It also issued a resolution establishing a sanitary zoning on the perimeter of the area where the outbreak was confirmed this week.
This measure determines a five-mile Protection Zone and High Surveillance, within which sampling will be carried out every 15 days in Atlantic salmon centres located in this area.
It also empowers the authority to suspend stocking in salmon farms and destinations to collection centres, Sernapesca reported in a press release.
Meanwhile, in the centres of Atlantic salmon within this surveillance zone, monthly sampling shall be conducted, among other measures.
Fernandez also explained Sernapesca heightened campaigns to monitor ISA health status of ACS farms near the outbreak focus as well as processing plants and storage facilities. Currently, inspectors did not detect new cases of ISA symptoms.
On the other hand, satellite monitoring of wellboats navigating from the ACS involved towards the landing points, has been increased, Fernandez pointed out.
According to Diario Financiero, the farming centre closest to Invermar belongs to Marine Harvest, a company that owns almost 26 hectares of salmon farms to the south of Punta Cheguian.
In the west of the island, in Canal Hudson, Marine Harvest has another 65-hectare fish farm. Other companies with operations within the ISA virus red circle of control are Cermaq and Salmones Tecmar.