Chilean salmon farmer will now produce smolts in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).
In a press release, salmon farmer Multiexport Foods writes that it will not continue to produce smolt at three sites in Lakes Rupanco and Llanquihue, southern Chile.
The company said that it is following on from a sustainability commitment which it made in 2019.
It will now, through the use of technological resources, produce all of its smolts on land.
“We are excited and convinced that the future success of our industry has to go hand in hand with making it a sustainable activity over time; compatible with the protection of environmental resources and the conservation of the ecosystems where it is embedded, as well as being a relevant player that listens and contributes to local communities,” said Francisco Lobos, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Manager at Multiexport Foods.
Lobos added that “we continually carry out different actions that show our commitment to communities and the environment. Specifically through the decision to close operations in the lakes of Chile, by harvesting all fish and removing all our structures, we put an end to a part of the 32 years of history in Multiexport when the operations were carried out by hand and without the technology we currently have.
“In this way, we move towards a more sustainable future, immediately contributing to the improvement of the tourist attractions and quality of life of the neighbours of the Llanquihue and Rupanco lake basins,” he added.