The president of SalmonChile, Cesar Barros, said that the departures of AquaChile and Invermar were due to different reasons. (Photo: Ecoceanos)

SalmonChile breaks silence over recent resignations

CHILE
Tuesday, September 07, 2010, 03:10 (GMT + 9)

The Association for the Salmon Industry A.G. of Chile (SalmonChile), have made their voices heard for the first time since AquaChile officialy left guild, through a public statement.

The departure of AquaChile, which is one of the largest Chilean salmon companies, materialised following the resignation of Victor Hugo Puchi as vice-president of SalmonChile early last August, who was and currently remains as the president of AquaChile.

The firm had announced its final departure on 23 August, however, it was not formalised until seven days later.

The split between the two organisations was a result of "insurmountable differences," said an industry source to Diario Financiero.

In the statement released by SalmonChile, it explained how the Board of Directors, which is composed of 23 representatives from member companies, "unreservedly supports the action of the director, its board, its president and the affiliate Salmon Technology Institute (Intesal), and we still support each of the measures that they had agreed to implement."

They also mention how they have been working "tirelessly" for the past three years, on the elaboration of policies to help the recovery of the salmon industry after the crisis caused by the infectious salmon anemia (ISA) virus.

"We have approved 44 measures, and participated in discussions resulting in laws and regulations, which has not always been unanimous, but a huge union discipline, which has enabled progress towards a consensus that today shows an industry with clear recovery and greater sustainability," the statement read.

"The Board of Trustees at SalmonChile AG, do and will not accept any form of disqualification towards its partners. All: large, medium, Chilean or foreign, are inserted into the same challenge, with the same conviction and responsibility. Today, all of our efforts are not focused on divisions, but rather the future and welfare of the domestic salmon industry and its 40,000 workers."

Meanwhile, the president of Invertec Pesquera Mar de Chiloé (Invermar), Mario Montanari, said that he was "very hurt" by the departure of Puchi.

"He was the supreme leader of the industry, the greatest of us all, he was the only one who had been able to come forward. And I do not like it when the minister of the economy, Juan Andrés Fontaine, talks about Chilean aquaculture, he should take a plane and say it to Europe, not here to this country," the president of Invertec told Estrategia.

"Under existing statutes, in a short period of time, SalmonChile will no longer belong to the Chileans. Again, in a further bid to punish me, I only recognise the government, which has set a law, not institutes which no-one controls, such as Intesal. If this is not resolved, it may result in a further loss of members," Montanari added.

Meanwhile, Montanari also announced his departure from SalmonChile, according to Radio Bío Bío.

Cesar Barros, president of the guild, has said that: "For me it is a pity that the two have left SalmonChile. No one else has resigned, and the departure of Invermar and AquaChile are for different reasons."

"Puchi left due to the distances between concessions, as he wanted them to be for 2 miles. When Montanari voted over the subject, he opted for a mile and a half. So there is no relationship between one case and the other," he added.

"I hope that in the long run they change their minds and come back, because nobody threw them out," he added.

Related article:

- AquaChile officially leaves SalmonChile
- SalmonChile resignation a 'warning signal' for the industry

By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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