Five farming grow-out centers in southern Chile’s Aysén region have reported mass mortalities associated with the presence of harmful microalgae.
The farms, located in the salmon concession groups (ACS) 31A, 30A and 30B,reported blooms of Pseudochattonella verruculosa, Pseudochattonella spp. and Rizhosolenia aff. setigera, Chile’s national fisheries and aquaculture service Sernapesca reported.
The worst-affected farming company was Blumar, which saw three centers affected in ACS 30A and 30B. Salmones Austral and Aquachile had one center affected, at ACS 30A and ACS 31A, respectively. And Mowi Chile activated contingency plans at ACS 22C for mass mortality associated with low oxygen levels.
“This is a developing situation, and to date it can be said that a harmful pseudochatonella algae bloom has been seen recently in the Puerto Aguirre area, Aysén region. The authorities have been informed and the company has activated the contingency and mitigation plans provided for these situations,” AquaChile said in a statement sent to SeafoodSource. “Algae blooms are natural phenomena and represent an operational risk at this time of year, so we will continue to monitor the situation.”
According to data reported to Sernapesca by the companies, total mortality reached 2,666 metric tons (MT), which is being removed and treated using silage systems, with affected biomass being sent to reducing plants, as established in their contingency plans.
In a statement to the financial market regulator CMF, Blumar Seafoods CEO Gerardo Balbontín said that before the event, the total amount of Atlantic salmon at its three centers – Orestes, Isla Ester and Punta Rouse – numbered approximately 2.55 million, with an average weight of 1.6 kilograms and an estimated book value of USD 23.7 million (EUR 20.9 million). The algae bloom event brought the mortality of some 760,000 fish, equivalent to approximately 1,230 MT of biomass, with an estimated direct financial loss of USD 3.3 million (EUR 2.9 million) for the subsidiary Salmones Blumar.
“It is estimated that this event should not have significant negative financial consequences for the company or its subsidiary Salmones Blumar S.A., given that it has insurance for this type of event,” Balbontín said in the statement.
Balbontín said the company activated its contingency and mitigation plans and informed authorities as soon as it became aware of the situation. Necessary resources have been made available at the affected centers to extract mortality as efficiently as possible, including two fishing boats supported by underwater robots (ROVs), divers, special suction equipment and technical personnel for “a fluid extraction operation,” Balbontín said.
Salmones Austral said, prior to the event, it had 792,278 Atlantic salmon, with an average weight of 692 grams, at its Ester grow-out center. CEO Gastón Cortés reported to the CMF that the event caused the mortality of an estimated 200,000 fish, resulting in a loss of USD 1.15 million (EUR 1.01 million).
Sernapesca said it will continue to monitor the areas affected by the microalgae blooms in order to verify and monitor the execution of the activities committed to in the action plans, through the final disposal of the mortalities. It is carrying out surveillance in each of the centers through satellite, remote-monitoring systems, cross-referencing information, and in-person inspections, and said it was remaining alert to weather patterns that could modify the current environmental condition of the affected areas.
Photo courtesy of Sernapesca
