During a meeting in Santiago, David Farcas said that, after two years of work, "we have managed to consolidate a clear roadmap, where the collaboration and integration of knowledge between the public, private and academic sectors has been fundamental to move forward."
The Committee Yelcho Alliance held its last annual meeting on November 12th at the facilities of National Service of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Sernapesca) in Santiago, marking a significant milestone in public-private collaboration to address the health challenges of the Chilean salmon farming industry.
The meeting was led by David Farcas, executive director of the alliance, and Daniel Woywood, technical manager of Aquabench, consultancy that coordinates both the Yelcho committees and the implementation of the actions defined in each of its strategic pillars.
Participated in the meeting Francisco Vásquez, a professional from the Department of Animal Health of the Aquaculture Subdirection of Sernapesca; Carolina Marambio and Fernando Zambrano, officials from the Subdepartment of Registration and Control of Veterinary Medicines of the Livestock Protection Division of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG); Jorge Mancilla, manager of Fish Health and Nutrition at Mowi Chile; Alexander Jaramillo, coordinator of Health e Safety at the Salmon Chile Salmon Technology Institute (INTESAL); and Claudia Castro, legal advisor to the Salmon Council.
At the opportunity, a summary of the activities carried out by the Yelcho Alliance so far in 2025 and the main future work strategies were defined. After thanking the commitment of SAG, Sernapesca, the trade associations and the ten producing companies participating in the initiative (Australis Seafoods, Blumar, Camanchaca, Cermaq Chile, Cultivos Yadrán, Mowi Chile, Multi X, Salmones Austral, Marine Farm and Ventisqueros), Daniel Woywood recalled that Yelcho's goal "is to have effective tools in the prevention of bacterial diseases that allow a significant reduction in the use of antibiotics in salmon farming through a public-private partnership within the framework of the National Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance. All of this through a transparent and pragmatic collaboration with the animal health sector."
Among the main results of the year, the executive highlighted that, after an intense process of scouting, where several pharmaceutical companies interested in participating in the project were identified, the first experimental trial was launched to evaluate seven vaccination proposals against Piscirickettsiosis (SRS) of the EM-90 and LF-89 strains. He explained that the study is being carried out with an extremely rigorous methodology - based on a protocol specifically developed for this purpose, which was validated by SAG and Sernapesca - that challenges under the same conditions the different products tested, marking a milestone in the search for effective solutions for the prevention of this disease in our country.
To the ongoing field testing are added other important activities, such as the meeting held in March with all pharmaceutical companies, an occasion where the experimental trial was presented, and the subsequent visit to the facilities of the Telele Ventisqueros cultivation centre, which allowed to learn about the technological advances and the sanitary management practices implemented by the company to reduce the use of antibiotics and improve fish welfare.
Another significant achievement was the participation of Yelcho in key international events, such as the "SRS Initiative Meeting", held last April in Ireland, and the "World Vaccine Congress", held in October in the Netherlands, as well as the presentation of the alliance's work to the Permanent Veterinary Committee of the Southern Cone (CVP) and to the Director General and the Regional Representative for the Americas of the World Health Organization Animal Health (OMSA)
Also, at the end of August, the alliance carried out a successful Scientific Day on Piscirickettsiosis, in Puerto Varas, where various experts in the field were called upon along with laboratories to address the advances and challenges in the prevention and control of this disease, managing to bring together more than a hundred participants and making a positive match among scientists and academics from different universities.
"Undoubtedly, it was a year of consolidation of the alliance, with important milestones, such as the start of the first experimental trial and the holding of the scientific day. A great collaborative effort has been made between SAG, Sernapesca, the associations, the companies and the scientific team, which has left us very satisfied," said the executive from Aquabench.
David Farcas, meanwhile, highlighted that, after two years of signing the agreement, where the creation of the Yelcho Alliance was formalized, "we have managed to consolidate a clear roadmap, in which the collaboration and integration of knowledge between the public, private and academic sectors has been fundamental to move forward."
2026 Strategy
For next year, Alianza Yelcho has set a series of objectives in line with its strategic pillars: Scouting, Experimental Trial, Field Tests and Communications.
With the extension of the stage of scouting it is expected that, in a second phase, at least two other pharmaceutical companies will be incorporated with new products to prevent SRS. The research will continue to focus on vaccines and will be expanded to the booster, as well as new technologies for the application of vaccines.
Regarding the experimental trial, Daniel Woywood explained that during the first half of 2026 an internal working session will be held with the members of the alliance, where the results to date will be analyzed and a second study will be planned, including protection options aimed at extending fish immunity, considering integrated strategies and boosterIt also defines the monitoring of field tests through technical visits to the site and presentation of conclusions.
Finally, to strengthen its public positioning, the alliance will launch its institutional website next year. Likewise, once the change of government authorities is official, meetings are expected to be held with the Ministers of Agriculture and of Economy, Development and Tourism, to present the activities and progress of the public-private collaboration body.
All agreements adopted by the Yelcho Alliance Committee were subsequently ratified by the Yelcho Management Committee, which took place on Tuesday 18 November in Puerto Montt, where the general managers of the companies managing the project participated.
