MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

ISA virus outbreaks keep spreading in Chilean salmon farms

The Salmon Infectious Anemia, ISA, virus keeps spreading in Chile according to the latest release from the country's Sernapesca, (Nacional Fisheries Service) reports the press from Puerto Montt.

Pitihorno farms from Multiexport and Buill from Salmones Humboldt (belonging to Pesquera Coloso and Salmones Igesur) were added to the list of ISA outbreaks. This means the 19 outbreaks listed last May 23 have now increased to 21. The list includes nine farms from Norway's Marine Harvest, four from Mainstream and others from AquaChile, Camanchaca, Pacific Star, El Golfo and Cultivos Marinos Chiloé. Furthermore another 24 farms or breeding facilities were classified as "suspicious" and seven were eliminated from this list. Those considered safe are five from Marine Harvest, one from Aguas Claras (AquaChile) and another from Maintream. However another 35 remain in quarantine conditions. Chile's salmon industry admitted that the ISA virus has had a serious impact on the country's sector with exports in the first quarter dropping 12% to 648 million US dollars compared to the same period a year ago. Similarly the March volume of salmon exports fell 3.9% with prices dropping on average 13.4% according to the latest release from the Fisheries Promotion Institute