Marine Harvest will double its smolts sowing
According to La Tercera, the general manager of Marine Harvest Chile, Álvaro Jiménez, explained that “this increase reflects trust of this sector due to a drop in the mortality rate viewed for the last four months” and because of the measures implemented, both from the industry and the National Fisheries Service (Sernapesca). Nevertheless, sowing rates are still far away from those prior to ISA virus, when the company sowed up to 40 million smolts.
This recovery sign is inline with what happens within the Chilean industry. Some estimates indicate that prior to the sanitary crisis the local industry sowed about 170 million smolts, decreasing to 30 million smolts by 2009 and going up to 50 million this year.
Álvaro Jiménez detailed that this increase will be reached using the idle capacity caused by the hard drop in the company’s production levels. He also estimated that within 5 years Marine Harvest Chile will take up to 75% of their sowing rates prior to crisis, forcing them to heavily invest in recirculation hatcheries and staff for broodstock upkeep, but not before 2011 when disease control became confirmed and as long as regulation exists, such as the legislative bill that is currently in discussion in the Congress.
