MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

ISA has reached salmon farms in Magallanes Region

Salmon Infectious Anemia (ISA) which has been ravaging the salmon industry in Chile has reached the extreme south region of Magallanes, according to the country's Fisheries Service.

Sample tests from two different types of salmon in hatcheries in Caleta Donso, to the south west of Puerto Natales proved positive. ISA has been in Chile since July 2007 and so far twenty areas of the country which is one of the world's leading exporters of salmon have been declared infected with the disease causing losses of over 25 million US dollars mainly in the Los Lagos and Aisén regions where the industry is concentrated. Salmon is the third export item of Chile with over two billion US dollars, employing more than 53.000 people. Since the first outbreak of the ISA virus, which has proved recurrent, 2.000 people have lost their jobs. To avoid the disease from spreading vets recommend lowering the density in cages where salmon are bred and a prudent distance between cages. According to technical reports from Chile's Fisheries Service in Norway, the world' main producer, salmon density is 15 kilos of fish per cubic meter of water while in Chile common practice is 25 kilos of fish per cubic meter of water, thus favoring the spread of ISA. According to the NGO Ecooceano where the latest outbreak in Magallanes region has been located, there's an only outlet of water to canals and fiords, with virtually no tides, which means the "disease could rapidly expand and contaminate other farms and similar establishments".