The microalgae Pseudochatonella spp. resides in the gills of fish, causing internal damage and leading to their death by suffocation.
The Aysén Regional Directorate of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) updated the progress in the removal of mortality by the salmon farming companies, which was generated by a harmful algal bloom (HAB) due to the presence of the microalgae Pseudochatonella spp..
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To date, a total of five farming centres They have activated their contingency plans due to FAN, and of them, three have activated their plans due to mass mortality.
Mass mortality sites belong to Blumar and AquaChile and found in the Salmonidos Concession Group (ACS, also known as "barrio") 22B, while the other two centres belong to the companies MultiX and Mowi And they're in the slums. 22C and 23C.
The monitoring carried out in person, remote and documentary form by Sernapesca officials is aimed at verifying the full compliance of the companies with the plans of action, as well as the withdrawal of the mortality that is being carried out through the "Erika" high seas fisheries (MAP), which at this moment is destined to the Calbuco reducing plant (Lake region) with 1,346 tonnesin addition to the PAM "Bronco", "Dukeco" and "Quilpolemu" that continue to extract mortality from the affected centers.
In addition, they have had the support of the barges "Mariela", "Coral Sea" and "Chelin Island".
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The regional director(s) of Sernapesca Aysén, Jorge Padilla, detailed that the total biomass in the mentioned "barrios" is from 7,992 tonnes, with a total mortality of 3,797.64 tonnes.
"On the ground we've been controlling extraction from the cages 2,697.46 tonnes mortality, which must be done by companies, of which 1,482.73 tonnes have been removed to reducing plants. We will continue with the audits until the end of this contingency and we will also maintain surveillance in the centers with FAN plan activated," emphasized Padilla.
Harmful algal blooms, also known as "algae blooms", are a natural phenomenon caused by multiple climatic and environmental factors, generating a numerical increase of one or more species of microalgae in water.
Microalgae Pseudochatonella spp.specifically, it is housed in the gills of fish, generating internal damage and causing its death by asphyxiation. This microalgae does not correspond to the so-called 'red tide', so there is no involvement of bivalve molluscs for human consumption.
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*Photo credits: courtesy of Sernapesca.
