Chilean salmon industry to sustain through improved hygiene

Chile's farmed salmon industry must improve its sanitary conditions if it is prepared to be a long-term industry, stated Adolfo Alvial, ex-general director of the Salmon Technological Institute (INTESAL).

According to local news media, Alvial said that industry sanitary and production regulations will be improved for the sake of preventing and countering the spread of viral infectious salmon anemia (ISA).

The project establishes a coordinated industry on the basis of neighbourhoods and the implementation of compulsory sanitary rests at the farming centres, but also a fall in the production of all the species in that the farming centres will not be able to be used as intensely as before.

However, he concluded that Chile will not have the production levels of 2007 again. According to the official figures, in 2007 and 2008, Chile's industry exported salmon for more than US$2.3 billion.

This year, however, export levels are expected to fall to US$1.8 billion.