Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism, Juan Andrés Fontaine announced that the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (SERNAPESCA), dependent on its portfolio, will file three complaints against the Nova Austral salmon farming company, which operates in the Magallanes region.
The decision was taken after receiving information from the director of Sernapesca, Alicia Gallardo, who reported various irregularities allegedly committed by the company, which were detected by the Service during the development of an exhaustive investigation initiated 14 days ago.
"Faced with the seriousness of the background that make presume of a possible adulteration of the fish mortality figures", said the minister, Sernapesca, through the Regional Office of Magallanes, will file a complaint in the corresponding court against Nova Austral, for infraction to article 113 of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Law, that is, falsifying information regarding the operation of a farming center.
YouTube video | Courtesy of Diario Financiero | Now in DF: Government will submit three complaints against the company Nova Austral
Secondly, in light of the information gathered by the Service, regarding an alleged concealment of the environmental effects on the seabed under the company's farming center, SERNAPESCA will file a complaint with the Superintendency of the Environment against the aforementioned company.
In addition, SERNAPESCA will file a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office for possible crimes incurred in the behaviors against Nova Austral.
"We are facing serious irregularities and we will not shake hands to enforce the law," Minister Fontaine said.
"I have instructed SESRNAPESCA to deliver a proposal as soon as possible to strengthen its inspection procedures in the farming centers," he added.
For its part, in a statement detailing the actions that are taking forward, by instruction of the Minister of Economy, SERNAPESCA reports that from 2017 to date, it "has filed 15 complaints against the company Nova Austral, two of them before the courts due to late delivery of information on their health programs and other 11 in the Superintendency of Environment, 3 of these during this year 2019, for operational, health and environmental shortcomings, related to overproduction, waste management, waste on the coastline, structures outside the concession area and use of the coastaline adjacent to the farming center, among other points, all these cases remain pending pending sanctions. "
"During this year 2019, the inspection teams of the Service have carried out 22 inspections of the company's centers, 5 regarding the operation of its processing plant in Porvenir, 1 of a reduction plant, landing points and Nova Austral offices to request information on the case; we have also monitored the ships that provide service to the company's centers through our satellite monitoring unit (11 ships have been registered in the area)."
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