The National Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture (SERNAPESCA), Juan Luis Ansoleaga, confirmed a new outbreak of ISA in a Salmon cage in the Aysen region on December 4, 2013. This virus is one of the most dreaded diseases in the industry as decimated the salmon industry three years ago. The outbreak was detected in the Arbolito center of the Southern Cross Seafood Company.
The agency's director said that this outbreak was detected thanks to SERNAPESCA continuous monitoring of the industry. Once they confirmed the presence of this virus, the alert status was issued and protocols were immediately applied to stop the spread of this virus. The virus detected is a new strain of the virus detected in 2007 known as HPR7A.
Ansoleaga does not rule out the possibility that this outbreak could occur in other areas of the country.
However, he noted that “should not extend the sense of alarm “because they are applying all the appropriated procedures to contain and stop the propagation of this virus.
Finally, he argued that a three part strategy is needed to combat the spread of the disease: appropriate regulation; a committed group of auditors; and commercial actors that comply with the regulations and grant facilities to regulators, to sort out this problem as soon as possible.
Professor and global aquaculture specialist, Frederick Kibenge said while visiting the University of San Sebastian of Puerto Montt that the Chilean salmon industry lost about $ 1 billion dollars as a result of the ISA virus between 2007 and 2011, which meant a loss of half of its economic potential. The expert explained that in 2007, during the outbreak was detected, 30% of workers in this industry were unemployed, while in 2009, 60% of the production was lost to the damage of this disease in salmon, grown primarily in the marine areas of Puerto Montt.
Source: CNN-Chile and Chilealimentos
