Sorting out salmon at a processing plant. (Photo: Australis Seafoods)

Salmon firms assess damage and losses after Calbuco volcano eruption

CHILE
Monday, April 27, 2015, 22:40 (GMT + 9)

Australis Seafoods reported to the Superintendency of Securities and Insurance (SVS) in a material fact that after the eruption of Calbuco volcano "the facilities owned by the company (SA) and its subsidiaries have not been affected".

In addition, it indicated that the staff of the firm is "working as usual and under completely safe conditions."

The eruption of the volcano located in Region X occurred on 22 April and forced the Chilean Government to declare a red alert and an exclusion zone of 20 kilometres.

Australis communication, signed by the legal manager of the company, Ruben Henriquez, states that, anyway, they are "attentive to the warnings and instructions given by the authority in this regard," ensuring the integrity of all its workers and their families at all times.

However, the company admitted that there has been damage to property of third parties that could impact Australis Seafoods or its subsidiaries.

"Our provider of coho-type salmon roe planned for harvest in the period from November 2016 to March 2017 --AquaGen Chile -- kept these eggs in a fish farm located within the exclusion zone affected by the eruption, which caused their loss," it stated.

Australis Seafoods kept an approximate amount of 1,246,496 smolts of Atlantic salmon in a fish farm owned by Salmones Camanchaca, under a subcontracting agreement.

"And that fish farm is located within the exclusion zone. In that fish farm biomass losses were found out, which are being evaluated. It is not yet possible to quantify the effects this will have on the production plan of the company," the company in the material fact.

On the other hand, four farming centres -- two of them belonging to Marine Harvest and Cermaq -- within the exclusion radius of 20 km from the main crater were destroyed.

And according to Felipe Sandoval, the president of the Association of Salmon Industry AG (SalmonChile), two other centres have been completely destroyed.

Meanwhile, Eduardo Aguilera, director of National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (SERNAPESCA) for the Region of Los Lagos, said that "in the area there were about 37 million of fish, which is part of 2015 production and part of 2016," reported Economia y Negocios.

He said that the concern is placed in the centres having reproducers, "because it is loss of genetic material".

To Cermaq, the next generation of coho salmon is lost.

"This is a very unfortunate situation, especially if the voluntary reduction of 20 per cent in our coho stockings, which we decided to perform earlier this year," ensured Jon Hindar, Cermaq CEO.

"Today we have basically lost the total generation of eggs for the next cycle. This is a very challenging situation for our growing operations in Chile, but we are comforted to know that all our colleagues and their families are safe and sound," the executive concluded.

SalmonChile confirmed damage in five hatcheries and the start of a solidarity campaign, Aqua reported.

In a statement, the Association expressed the following:

• The salmon industry has approximately 200 fish farms in Chile, of which only eight are operating in the emergency zone;
• Regarding the eight fish farms at risk: there are four with severe or total damage; one with damage being assessed, given that an important number of fish has been saved; and the other three are moving all the fish. Of these eight production facilities, only five have damage, representing 2.5 per cent of the farms of the industry in the freshwater phase;
• In these eight hatcheries 25 million fish are farmed out of a total of 300 million fish grown in all production points, which is 8.3 per cent of the total fresh water production;
• The emergency protocol activated by SERNAPESCA worked, providing special solutions for authorizing the movement of fish, under the set biosafety conditions;
• The first production phase is a growth stage that can be replaced, therefore, the possible losses must be reduced, although they are not quantifiable in advance;
• Regarding the labour front, 100 per cent of the people were evacuated without trouble.

Related article:

- Emergency protocol activated due to volcanic eruption and salmon movement allowed

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

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