Lice levels fall sharply
Chile had seven salmon farming sites which averaged three or more ovigerous female lice per fish in the forty-sixth week of this year.
Seven farming sites have been reported as with an average abundance of adult lice (Caligus rogercresseyi) per fish equal or higher than three ovigerous females per fish according to the National Service of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Sernapesca). In comparison, there were thirteen sites in this condition in the previous report, corresponding to late October.
These sites with high abundances, known as Sites of Large Spread or CAD, are currently located exclusively in the regions of Aysén (3 sites) and Los Lagos (4 sites).
All 7 CADs were stocked with Atlantic salmon. Meanwhile, one of them was being harvested while the rest of them was in the process of fattening fish.
According to the new sanitary programme of control and surveillance of Caligus, if a farming site is reported as CAD for three consecutive weeks, all fish should be harvested in that site, whereas if there are three notifications in a six-week period, 25% of the site should be harvested.
