Paula Carvajal
May 18. 2009
The infectious salmon anemia (ISA) virus was first detected at two farms owned Marine Harvest Chile in August 2007.
At that time, no one knew Chile’s salmon farming industry, the second largest in the world behind Norway, was about to experience the worst disease outbreak in its history.
By the spring of 2009, Atlantic salmon production in Chile was falling and projections for future production were getting bleaker with every passing day.
The next several years will be tough for Chile’s salmon farming sector, as it struggles to rebuild itself and deal with the ramifications of the worst disease outbreak in its two-decade history.
Major structural changes are being planned for an industry that grew quickly and beyond its ability to fully manage this tremedous growth.
So how did this dynamic industry that revolutionized the processing, sales and marketing of farmed salmon get into trouble? How did an industry that single-handedly captured the U.S. salmon market, one of the biggest salmon markets in the world, get to a point where it is unable to defend its market share and must simply watch as others take it customers?
“This is undoubtedly the worst crisis in the entire history of the industry, not only due to its scope but also because it’s made us admit that an urgent and deep change is needed,” said Adolfo Alvial, technical manager of Marine Harvest. ”It’s like pole vaulting with a leg injury and the highest bar.
“ISA is not the cause of our woes ¿ it’s the cherry on the cake, a consequence, like sea lice, of a deeper cause of the problem,” said Alivial.
”ISA and the Reshaping of Chile’s Salmon Industry” provides a comprehensive overview of ISA’s impact on the businesses and people that make up the Chilean salmon industry.
This report provides information on:
- How the virus spread through Chile;
- The social cost of ISA on Chile’s workforce;
- A case study of Marine Harvest and its efforts to battle the disease;
- Estimates of how long it will take for Chile to recover and production to improve
- An overview of the extensive restructuring the industry will now require to prevent future disease epidemics; and
- Interviews with industry leaders who analyze ISA’s full impact on Chile, its customers and its future.
For more informartion about this newest IntraFish Media Industry Report or to order your copy of the report, please e-mail info@intrafish.com .
This report is available in English and Spanish soon.
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