The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) was the agency that filed the complaint.
Sernapesca
The salmon company Caleta Bay Mar SpA has been convicted by the Chilean Supreme Court for providing misleading information about harvest volumes at one of its farming sites and for failing to notify the regulatory agency promptly.
The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) was the agency that filed the complaint after identifying discrepancies during inspection processes, determining that the number of harvested fish did not match the figures reported at the time of stocking or the recorded mortality throughout the production cycle.
The company was subsequently sentenced to pay a fine of 1,000 UTM, equivalent to CLP 64,666,000 (approximately $67,000), and was suspended from operations for one production cycle at its Factoría farming center.
"As a regulatory agency, we find it unacceptable for companies to operate in violation of the law. At Sernapesca, we will continue to oversee aquaculture activities through on-site inspections, remote monitoring, and document reviews, to ensure strict compliance with current regulations," said Branny Montecinos, Acting Regional Director of Sernapesca in Los Lagos.
Additionally, the Chilean Fisheries Development Company S.A. (EMDEPES S.A.) has been fined 4,747 UTM, equivalent to CLP 307,346,982 (approximately $318,766) for unauthorized discarding of hake during fishing operations carried out by the vessel UNZEN.
The agency uses a remote monitoring system to oversee discards, and its records detected instances of hake specimens being discarded without the necessary authorization.
"This ruling is very important because it reinforces the strength of Sernapesca's actions. We are a regulatory agency, and our main role is to ensure compliance with the law. We value the use of technology to support our work, enabling us to carry out remote inspections that allow us to detect and document violations," assured Daniela Leiva, Regional Director of Sernapesca in Aysén.