Several companies refuse change in sanitary regulation
These companies remark that the proposed modification would not be viable due to economic issues and because lack of scientific and technical track records to implement such an amendment. Given these disagreements, the Government entrusted the creation of an expert panel commissioned to suggest, between March and April this year, whether it is appropriate or not to apply this proposed modification.
According to the financial journal Diario Financiero, the general manager of AquaChile, Alfonso Márquez de la Plata, commented that any modification can only be implemented if there are enough economic and technical track records supporting it, which currently does not exist in his opinion. He also warned that the local land-based hatcheries do not have enough capacity to produce the Coho salmon and Rainbow trout smolts required to reactivate the Chilean salmon industry. Besides, there would not exist enough water volumes nor administrative, technical or economic capacities to build those facilities in a short term period, he said.
Meanwhile, the general manager of Trusal, Vjekoslav Rafaeli, explained that the cost of producing Rainbow trout smolts in land-based facilities is 35 per cent more expensive compared to the production of smolts in estuaries.
