The Pincoy project, led by AquaGen, Blumar, Centrovet, Cermaq, Pharmaq, Skretting and more recently Camanchaca, has focused on the decrease in the use of antibiotics in the Chilean salmon industry since 2015. The project has implemented high animal welfare standards and operational excellence throughout the production chain, in addition to close monitoring of the participating farming sites that are currently applying the project criteria.

As a new milestone for the project, at the end of 2019 and during the first months of this year, the Aquagen team developed homozygous eggs with genetic markers for SRS (Salmonid Rickettsial Septicaemia) resistance from both breeding male and female. This development is expected to decrease the presence or severity of SRS outbreaks.

In recent years, SRS has been the main cause of antibiotics utilization in the Chilean salmon industry. “Thanks to this innovation and based on the current use of eggs with the highest genetic resistance to the disease, we expect to reduce the presence and impact of SRS outbreaks. This could be translated into a decrease in the use of antibiotics, which would mean a key advance in the project. We believe that this type of achievement positions us as an example in the industry. In addition to the use of fish with this genetic improvement, the project has incorporated a variety of tools from different areas to achieve the main goal such as implementing best farming practices in fresh and seawater centers, using functional and high-performance diets, improving the quality of smolts, making strategic use of vaccines and implementing adequate pharmacological treatments,” said Cristhian Ortiz, commercial manager of Aquagen Chile.

Watch this video for more information about the Pincoy project.