The report found that more than 65 thousand sample analyses were conducted last year across 109 classified harvesting areas in the Coquimbo, Biobío and Los Lagos regions.
The National Service of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Sernapesca), through the Subdirection of Food Safety and Certification, issued the 4th bulletin of Bivalve Mollusk Health Program (PSMB), corresponding to the 2024 results. The program is responsible for the permanent surveillance and control of marine biotoxins in those extraction areas that voluntarily join the program and whose resources are destined for export, which is complemented by the results of verification carried out on finished products in processing plants.
In addition, the PSMB monitors other contaminants in the resources as microbiological parameters, marine biotoxins, heavy metals and pesticides, as well as the monitoring of potentially harmful phytoplankton. The objective of the program is to maintain an timely and reliable information system, which allows for early decisions regarding the resources extracted from cultivation areas and natural banks subject to the program. monitoring developed for each area, ensuring the extraction of safe resources for export, mainly to the European market.
In this sense, the General Directorate of Health and Food Safety (DG Sante), the health authority of the European Union, will carry out an audit during the upcoming months of March and April. "This programme allows bivalve molluscs from extraction areas to meet the requirements established by the European Union (EU) for export to its countries, ensuring that they can reach a large market in the "optimal conditions of safety and suitable for consumption," said Héctor Escobar, Deputy Director of Safety and Certification at Sernapesca.
Details of the samples
The authority detailed regarding the report that "during 2024 a total of 65,298 analyses were carried out in 109 extraction areas classified, of which 6 correspond to natural banks and 103 are composed of cultivation centers, which are distributed in the regions of Coquimbo, Biobío and Los Lagos".
"One of the reasons for the importance and strength of this program is that it allows continuous monitoring of the sanitary and environmental conditions where these crops are developed, achieving timely detection and preventing harvesting during situations that could affect public health," added Escobar.
Regarding toxicological analyses, the frequency of sampling for marine toxins in open areas for harvesting is weekly and includes analyses of Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP), Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) and lipophilic toxins. During 2024, detections of ASP and PTX2 (lipophilic toxin) were found, only at subtoxic levels, therefore only precautionary intensive sampling was activated.
It should be noted that so far in 2025, the levels of Amnesic Poison (VAM) have remained very below the toxic limit, which has resulted only in the application of intensive sampling (every 48 hours), without the need to establish any precautionary closure in the affected areas.
Although the PSMB is managed by Sernapesca to ensure sanitary guarantees for resources destined for export, all important information obtained is shared in a timely and permanent manner with the Ministry of Health, who are responsible for applying precautionary measures for local consumption, with the PSMB being one of the main surveillance tools for the presence of contaminants in molluscs. produced in Chile.
The information provided in this note is available to the community on the Sernapesca website through the following link.
