By: Generation M
(Read news in El Mostrador)
The Regional Council of the Chiloé Archipelago of the Chilean Veterinary Medical Association (Colmevet) made an urgent appeal to the authorities and aquaculture companies in the regions of Los Lagos and Aysén to maximize efforts and resources to contain and eliminate in the shortest possible time the remaining mortality of farmed salmon affected by the presence of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) in the area. This, considering that the sector is home to an infinite number of species that are highly susceptible to environmental changes.
"All actors in the region and the country have a responsibility to balance business development and care for the environment, especially when there are preventive measures and regulations to address environmental phenomena such as Harmful Algal Blooms," said Alfredo Caro, Regional President of Colmevet's Chiloé Archipelago.
Since March 17 of this year, the microalgae monitoring systems of the salmonid farming centers in the Regions of Los Lagos and Aysén detected the presence of microalgae harmful to fish, especially of the species Heterosigma akashiwo, which over the days generated high mortalities in farmed fish, collapsing the usual mortality treatment systems and the activation of the contingency plans that exist for these cases.
However, as reported by Sernapesca on April 15, 95% of the total mortality in both regions has been removed. A possible impact on the environment around the farming centers must be taken into account, and the repercussions that this could have on the ecosystem in the short, medium and long term are uncertain.
Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) are natural environmental phenomena that occur in aquatic environments due to the excessive and short proliferation of certain species of microalgae that can have serious consequences on public, animal and environmental health, making it necessary to apply monitoring and control measures that allow early action.
Compliance with regulations
In this regard, the union recalled that, in the case of the salmon industry, there are extensive sectoral regulations that establish a system of surveillance, classification and treatment of mortalities. As well as measures and contingency plans in the event of massive fish mortality and the obligation to inform the various competent authorities.
To this end, the Regional Council of Colmevet Chiloé, through its Aquaculture Commission, proposes a series of measures to address these situations:
1. That the companies responsible for generating environmental impact, due to ineffective management of this contingency, materialize corrective actions led by experts in the field, to reduce the detrimental effect on the environment.
2. To materialize an articulated network among the different agencies and institutions that maintain surveillance systems in order to achieve a solid chain that allows early approaches and the application of timely measures that minimize the impact on fish health and the effects that these phenomena generate in the environment.
3. Review the current regulations governing the installation of salmonid farming centers and the population densities allowed in areas that have historically presented HAB phenomena and that have unique and highly susceptible marine ecosystems, such as the marine corals located in the Comau Fjord.