6 January, 2021

Abate Molina Scientific vessel begins 2021 with a cruise that will investigate anchovy and common sardines

January 8th, 2021 Periodista Gabriela.Gutiérrez

The ship has 5,510 days of operation and 234 cruises since 1991, which arrived in Chile, donated by Japan Government to Chilean Government .

On January 5th, scientific vessel Abate Molina, from Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) set sail with 27 professionals and technicians from Valparaíso’s port ; to characterize and evaluate anchovy and common sardine stock resources present between Valparaíso to Los Lagos Regions, based on the hydroacoustic method, during the period of maximum recruitment and during immediate fall.

Research area is between Pichidangui and north of Caleta Mansa (Los Lagos region). The cruise will last 31 days, the head of the Cruise is Álvaro Saavedra fishing engineer and the ship captain is Takashi Abe.

Luis Parot IFOP Executive Director explained “this is the first cruise of the year and it will allow us to obtain data and background information to find out how the anchovy and sardine resources are. The Abate is a ship that fulfills a busy research schedule every year, with a very important effort from its crew, researchers and scientific observers. Due to the pandemic, they comply with very strict sanitary shipping measures, for example, they cannot get off at the intermediate landfall ports, they are kept in a closed gate in order to avoid contagion. During all of 2020 the ship carried out her work impeccably without having any infected workers ”

Gersón Lizama IFOP Marine Operations Head commented “the ship had a successful operation year in 2020 given that it carried out the 7 scheduled cruises, from Arica to Canal Chacao, with 232 operation,days all of the above in a year with a pandemic. The success was due to established safety protocols , the result of which was that no member of the crew and researchers on board presented COVID contagion and therefore the ship was not affected in its operation “.