Salmones Porvenir, the joint venture between Chilean salmon farming companies Nova Austral and Trusal S.A., a subsidiary of Salmones Austral – has detected ISA virus at two of its 16 cages at the Navarro Tres center, Salmones Austral General Manager Gastón Cortez announced in a release to Chile’s market regulator, CMF.
The two affected cages contain 172,311 fish with an average weight of 430.4 grams, which are to be culled in the coming days. Navarro Tres holds a total of 1.37 million Atlantic salmon. The total loss to the JV is expected to reach USD 700,000 (EUR 613,000).
“As operator of the Navarro Tres center, Nova Austral S.A., together with Trusal S.A., is acting in coordination with [national fisheries service] Sernapesca in the analysis of the situation, with the contingency and biosafety protocols having been activated in the designated center,” the statement said. “The company continues to evaluate the situation, so any relevant antecedents that may arise in this regard will be reported immediately.”
Salmones Porvenir was formed in February for the production of salmon with three licenses on Skyring Sound in southern Chile’s Magallanes Region.
At the time of the launch, the JV said it expects to harvest a total of 19,000 metric tons (MT) during two production cycles – 7,000 MT during 2021 and 12,000 MT in 2022 – with the aim of extending the venture over a longer period.
Under Trusal’s licenses, smolts are provided from Nova Austral's new hatchery in Porvenir. Salmones Austral supplies the feed, three concessions, and fixed assets for two of the centers. In turn, Nova Austral operates the farm sites, processes at its Porvenir facility, and sells the salmon through its brand Sixty South. The proceeds from the JV are to be split evenly.
Nova Austral is owned by the equity funds Altor Fund III and Bain Capital. Its entire operations are in the Magallanes and Antarctic regions, employing some 800 people directly. It has been in regulatory hot water for falsifying mortality reports last year at centers in the Magallanes region.
Salmones Austral was created in 2013 after the merger of Trusal and Pacific Star. Today, it has annual production of some 45,000 to 50,000 MT, exported to more than 20 countries, with more than 1,200 workers operating in two process plants and 20 freshwater and seawater farming centers in the regions of Maule, Biobío, La Araucanía, Los Lagos, and Aysén.
The JV marks Salmones Austral’s first operations in the Magallanes Region.
Photo courtesy of Chilean Salmon Marketing Council
