Chilean Marine Farm's Ilque farm has been awarded BioMar Farmer of the Year 2021 for Coho salmon. The incorporation of functional diets, the quality of the salmon strain and the team were the three main success factors. After eight months at sea, the fish harvested this season recorded an average weight of around 3.8 kilos and a biological conversion factor (FCR) of 0.94.
“The work of the team, committed and focused in the same direction, together with the feed supplier, are fundamental for the final result,” explained Pablo Leyton, who has been raising Coho salmon for more than seven years. Leyton led the team in Ilque as head of the center and recently took over as area head of Marine Farm in the Aysén region. The Ilque center is characterized by having good environmental conditions, as well as a good current regime and adequate oxygen levels.
Claudio Andrade, seawater production manager, refers to the raw material used, assuring that “the quality of the strain of our Coho salmon is very good, which is added to the good practices of the center team and a feeding strategy based on satiety and the specific needs and challenges of the fish.”
The three best Coho salmon farms fed by BioMar registered conversions below 0.98 and in all three cases, functional diets were used, such as Assist Jaundice, during the ongrowing. The SmartCare Assist line of products is specifically geared towards improving the ability of fish to resist specific health problems. Assist Jaundice, specifically, is focused on controlling Coho jaundice syndrome by reinforcing the immune system, controlling oxidative stress and protecting and recovering liver functions.
“We have seen good results with our clients for the 2021 Coho salmon ongrowing season with the incorporation of functional diets that have made it possible to control the effects of some health challenges,” said Alin Casado, leader of the BioFarm Health program at BioMar. “In addition, through our Jaundice Surveillance Program, implemented three years ago, we have field information to support, from a nutritional point of view, better health management of our clients' fish from freshwater stages, by strengthening and increasing efficiency later in the sea.”
