Broken cage blamed for 23,000 escaped salmon in Chile
THE Chilean fishing and aquaculture authority Sernapesca reported that 23,000 coho salmon escaped from a Cermaq site in the Quemchi region in Chiloe.
Sernapesca was originally given notice of an alleged escape on December 22, prompting an inspection on the Caucahue salmon farm, owned by Cermaq.
After a breakage in the cage was identified, Cermaq was instructed to count the number of fish involved and to commence recapture measures.
The company subsequently managed to recapture 5,050 of the escaped fish and reported the escape on its website on December 30.
The site had already started harvesting and so the fish were of a commercial size.