Chile Proposes Study of Salmon Production
11 June 2008CHILE - The Chilean government’s emergency salmon committee, has called for a comprehensive study to determine exactly how much salmon production Chilean waters can handle.
Environmental organizations and local fishermen groups claim salmon companies have stretched the capacity of Region X’s coastal waters beyond the breaking point.
And they have been calling for a stufy to be carried out into teh country's $2.2 billion aquaculture industry.
Chilean salmon farms produce, on average, 25 kilos per cubic meter, according to the Santiago-based environmental NGO Fudación Terram. In Norway, the world’s leading farmed salmon producer, the concentration is significantly lower: 15 kilos per cubic meter, the Patagonia Times says.
The committee, which is a part of the Ministry of Economy, is also demanding changes to Chile’s Aquaculture Environmental Regulation (RAMA) and Sanitary Regulation (RESA).
"Right now the industry, because of its growth, must adapt to the new conditions it faces so that it can continue to develop the way it has in recent years. Without a doubt, this situation involves institutional, environmental and sanitary challenges,” Economy Minister Hugo Lavados told teh Patagonia Times.
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