On March 21, the scientific vessel Abate Molina sailed from the Port of Valparaíso to characterize and assess the horse mackerel, found between the Arica and Parinacota Regions and the Valparaíso Region, using hydroacoustic methods. The cruise leader is fisheries engineer Víctor Catasti Barraza, and the vessel’s captain is José Echeverría. They, accompanied by an expert team of professionals, technicians, and the vessel’s crew, will conduct studies related to the horse mackerel for 45 days. Specific Objectives Conduct adaptive...

Dr. Leonardo Guzmán Méndez, senior researcher at the Fisheries Development Institute, reported that the seventeenth meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Harmful Algae (IPHAB) was held between March 18 and 20. It has been in operation since the 1990s as a way to stimulate cooperative work among the various countries that make up the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), an agency of UNESCO and therefore of the United Nations (UN). The IPHAB has two executive secretariats, one headed by the...

On March 17, the Scientific Vessel Dra. Barbieri set sail from the Port of Valparaíso to conduct acoustic-fishing and oceanographic surveys to assess the biomass, using hydroacoustic methods, of small pelagic resources, the southern sardine, the common sardine, and the anchovy present in the inland waters of the Aysén region of General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. The cruise leader is Javier Legua and the vessel’s captain is Jorge Acevedo. They, along with a team of 17 professionals, technicians, and...

The guide compiles the testimonies and experiences of environmental actions from 15 women who are part of the Micelio Network. As part of the Climate Month activities, and also in commemoration of International Women’s Day, the Regional Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality, Yoal Díaz, officially launched the Micelio Network and, along with them, launched the Environmental and Climate Action Guide. Historically, for #8M, the Regional Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment has recognized Sustainable...

Dr. Jo Gilbert, international director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds of the United Kingdom, highlighted Chile’s progress in this area through the work of Subpesca, Sernapesca, and IFOP. At the offices of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca), the international director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds of the United Kingdom (RSPB), Dr. Jo Gilbert, accompanied by Esteban Frere, representative of Birdlife International’s Marine Program at the Latin American level, met...

The Abate Molina and Dra. Barbieri vessels set sail from the Port of Valparaíso on February 15 and for 27 days will travel along the coasts of the Atacama and Coquimbo regions to conduct a hydroacoustic prospecting cruise to assess the anchovy stock present in the study area. A team of 43 IFOP professionals and technicians made up of researchers, biological samplers, scientific observers, acoustic and electronic observers, operators of scientific equipment, crew members, pilots, captain, and cooks will...

In March 2023, the city of Santa Marta, Colombia, was the setting for the meeting of the Network of National Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Institutions of the Pacific Alliance (IIPA/AP Network), where significant links were established between the Institute for Marine and Coastal Research (INVEMAR) and the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP). This collaboration seeks to develop information exchange processes that benefit both institutions in their areas of mutual interest. In this context, the visit of the DAF Division, headed...

On Tuesday, January 28, Dr. Yesenia Olaya, Minister of Science of Colombia, met at IFOP Headquarters in Punta Arenas with Head of Regional Headquarters MSc. Erik Daza, professional and technical staff of the Headquarters and the Heads of Division Dr. Carlos Montenegro and Dr. Gastón Vidal. Dr. Olaya’s visit to Punta Arenas extended from January 28 to February 3, in addition to IFOP, she also met with the Center for Dynamic Research of High Latitude Marine Ecosystems (IDEAL), the...

Gonzalo Pereira Puchy Executive Director of the Institute for Fisheries Development (IFOP) Fisheries management in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Chile and in the high seas of the South Pacific is governed by solid principles established in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This international treaty grants coastal States, such as Chile, sovereign rights for the exploration, exploitation, conservation and administration of living marine resources in said zone. It also gives them the...

Caldera, From January 7 to 9, IFOP held training sessions for Scientific Observers who carry out their information gathering tasks in the monitoring centers located in the Atacama Region. The activity is related to the “Monitoring of Benthic Fisheries” Program, led by IFOP senior researcher Andrés Olguín Ibacache. 12 people attended the activity, including observers, field coordinators, general coordinator, researchers and exhibitors. “The objective of these work sessions was to inform the Scientific Observers who participate in the data...

Within the framework of the work carried out by IFOP in the context of the Benthic Fisheries Monitoring Program, that is, maintaining effective communication with institutional and private agents of the benthic artisanal fishing sector to disseminate the results of the project, the talk “Biological, fishing and reproductive aspects of the southern octopus resource (Enteroctopus megalocyathus)” was held on Friday, January 17 at Sernapesca Castro facilities, given by senior researcher and Master in aquatic resource management, Andrés Olguín Ibacache....

With the welcome remarks of Dr. Leonardo Guzmán, president of the local (national) organizing committee of the international conference on harmful algae (ICHA2025), published on the Conference website (www.icha2025.org), registrations for this important world event, the most important on harmful algae and aquatic toxins, in which these topics are addressed from different perspectives, began. In this new version, the twenty-first, which will be held at the Dreams del Estrecho Hotel, Punta Arenas, Chile, there will be keynote lectures by...

In January 2025, we had the visit of Dr. Ana Catarino at the Institute for Fisheries Development (IFOP), Valparaíso headquarters. Dr. Catarino is a leading international researcher at the Flemish Marine Institute (VLIZ). She is a specialist in the study of microplastics in seawater, sediments and biota, and their effect on marine biological communities. During their visit, the zooplankton team from the IFOP Oceanography Section, made up of Dr. Jessica Bonicelli, Dr. Katty Donoso, Francisca Osorio, Débora Albornoz and...

The Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) organized a dissemination workshop in Caleta San Pedro, Los Vilos, aimed at leaders and partners of the main local artisanal fishermen organizations. The activity, entitled “Connecting knowledge for sustainable fisheries management”, sought to strengthen the sustainability of the Benthic Resources Management and Exploitation Areas (AMERB), integrating scientific results with local knowledge, in the management and administration practices of the main species in these areas. Opening of the workshop: Context and objectives The event began...

Yesterday, January 6, the Abate Molina scientific vessel set sail from the Port of Valparaíso and for 28 days, IFOP professionals and technicians will be dedicated to characterizing and evaluating the stock of anchovy and common sardine resources present between the Regions of Valparaíso and Los Lagos, using hydroacoustic methods, during the period of maximum recruitment and in the immediate fall. The captain of the vessel is José Echeverría and the head of the cruise is the fisheries engineer...