The Chilean National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) confirmed the escape of fish that occurred last Monday in the San Antonio canal in the commune of Calbuco.
The regulatory body also announced that it will file a complaint against the responsible company, Caleta Bay, for non-compliance with the Environmental Regulations for Aquaculture for not immediately reporting the problem.
“By delaying this action, the containment work is more difficult and the risk of environmental damage increases, so we will file the respective complaint,” the audit body announced.
Read more: Salmon escape being investigated at Caleta Bay
The statement was issued after a second field inspection was carried out on Tuesday in conjunction with the Maritime Authority.
According to Sernapesca, there was a rupture of one of the pens at the site and salmon were found on the outer perimeter of the site. Finally, after two inspections, and a letter demanding the suspension of the harvest process, the owner of the centre acknowledged the escape.
A statement from Caleta Bay said, “there has been an escape of fish of approximately 12,500 units of the coho salmon species from our San Antonio site, located in the commune of Calbuco, Los Lagos region. This would be the result of an act attributable to third parties, which was reported to the competent authorities and is in the process of investigation.”
