Chile’s problems with ISA, a highly contagious fish virus that has plagued the country’s US$2.2 billion farmed salmon industry, appear far from over, reports the Santiago Times.

Nearly a year after first confirming ISA’s presence in Chilean waters, the government’s National Fishing Service (SERNAPESCA) continues to expand its official list of outbreak sites.

The list now contains 24 fish farms – 22 in Region X and two father south in Region XI. SERNAPESCA added six of those production centers in just the past couple of weeks.

The government body, meanwhile, increased Chile’s number of quarantined farms from 35 to 42.

In total, Chile – the world’s second leading farmed salmon producer after Norway – boasts 827 salmon farms.

Ten of the infected farms belong to industry leader Marine Harvest, a Norwegian company.

Four belong to Mainstream, also Norwegian.

Due in large part to the ISA problems, both companies have seen their profits shrink in recent months.

The industry slowdown has also resulted in large-scale layoffs.

Just this month, Japanese-owned Salmones Antarctica let go of approximately 200 workers in Region XI.

The company let another 300 people go earlier in the year.

In April, Mainstream fired 260 workers in Quemchi, Chiloé.

One week earlier, Marine Harvest shut its Puerto Montt-based Chinquihue processing plant, laying off more than 600 people.

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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