Oceana declares its concern regarding antibiotic use in salmon

The international marine conservation group, Oceana, declared its concern regarding the breach of the deadline set by the Salmon aquaculture task force that should have, at the end of June, defined the way in which it would undertake the reduction of the use of antibiotics in the salmon industry, among others themes.

The task force, called by the Minister of Economy, Hugo Lavados, with the purpose of identifying the problems that affect the salmon aquaculture industry and advancing in its solutions, brought to light publicly June 2 a first report with the themes that would be developed during 2008. The report had compromised to present within thirty days the methodology with which the reduction of antibiotics use would be undertaken. To date, this still has not occurred.

"It worries us that the Salmon Task Force does not comply with the commitments and deadline that they have set for themselves. It is a bad sign since it reveals that the government is not giving the importance deserved to environmental problems that the salmon industry causes, especially relating to the excessive use of antibiotics. Both the credibility of the Government and that of the industry are at stake, and they should give clear signs in wanting to advance in this matter if they want this effort to arrive at a good ending", said Alex Muñoz, Vice President for Oceana South America.

The organization also criticized that the Salmon Task Force has announced that the eventual reduction of antibiotics would be based on the good practices of the businesses. "It is not possible that the use of antibiotics in salmon aquaculture remains at the mercy of the good practices or simple will of the industry. Chile needs new regulation that strongly limits the use of these chemicals and prohibits the utilization of quinolones, just as it occurs in the markets for which Chilean salmon are destined. The good practices can be complementary to the regulations but in no case should replace a necessary and new regulation that sets the types and quantities that can be used to avoid the harmful effects that the antibiotics cause at present. We call the Salmon Task Force to undertake the issue with the seriousness and urgency that it deserves", added Muñoz.

According to Oceana, more than 200 tons of antibiotics per year are thrown to farmed salmon in Chile, while in Norway, the world's largest producer of salmon, less than one ton is used. Likewise, there are data from 2005 that indicate that slightly more than 80% of the antibiotics used in Chilean salmon correspond to quinolones, a family of antibiotics whose application in animals is not authorized in other countries - including those that import Chilean salmon – due to their particular capacity to produce resistance in bacteria.

It is important to note that the bacterial resistance caused by the abuse of these substances is not only produced in salmon, but also in those bacteria present in the environment that surrounds the cultivation centers and in the wild fish of the zone that then are sold in local markets. An investigation by Oceana showed that wild fish for human consumption (sea bass, whitecaps and wild trout), fish around a fish pen in Cochamó, X Region, had consumed food for salmon and that the meat of some samples contained antibiotics used in salmon aquaculture. This lack of regulation and control can generate a loss in the effectiveness of the antibiotics used, not only in salmon but likewise in humans, which constitutes a serious public health problem.