On January 6, the research vessel Abate Molina set sail from the Port of Valparaíso. For 28 days, IFOP (Fisheries Development Institute) professionals and technicians will be characterizing and evaluating the anchovy and common sardine stocks between the Valparaíso and Los Lagos Regions using hydroacoustic methods during the peak recruitment period and the following autumn. The vessel’s captain is José Echeverría, and the research cruise leader is fisheries engineer René Vargas. Specific Objectives To estimate the size of the...
With the full participation of the mussel larval monitoring team, researchers from the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) took an active role in the workshop “Oceanography for a Changing Future: Extreme Events, Mollusk Aquaculture, and Interdisciplinarity”, held on December 11 and 12 at the Hotel Vicente Costanera in Puerto Montt. The event, organized by the Milennium Institute in Coastal Socio-Ecology (SECOS) in collaboration with AmiChile, Intemit, and Innovex SpA, brought together leading researchers, students, public sector representatives, and key stakeholders...
The initiative is funded by the Chile–Mexico Fund, managed by the Cooperation Agencies AGCID and AMEXCID. A delegation of seven people, made up of researchers from the Institute for Fisheries Development (IFOP), the Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh), the NGO Conectar para Conservar, together with fishers from Ancud Bay and the town of Melinka, carried out a technical internship in Mexico, on the Yucatán Peninsula, aimed at exchanging experiences and knowledge in the field of small-scale fisheries. ...
On Thursday, December 11, in Hualpén, the 2025 closing ceremony of the Semillas del Cambio program was held, organized by the Municipal Education Administration Directorate (DAEM) of the Municipality of Hualpén. The project consisted of a learning cycle and collaborative efforts for a selected group of outstanding students from various educational institutions in the municipality. A total of 38 students were selected, ranging from third grade of primary school to third grade of secondary school, representing 10 schools...
These stations will be installed at Punta Angamos, Lighthouse sector (Antofagasta Region), and on Mocha Island, oceanic lighthouse sector (Biobío Region). Both are strategic locations for the study of oceanographic and climatic variability in their respective areas. The Institute for Fisheries Development conducted a training workshop together with the company Thot System, as part of the acquisition process of two new meteorological stations, financed by CORFO-DPS 2025 “Strengthening of the Climate Change Monitoring System (SAPO)”. These stations will...
Between November 24 and 28, IFOP researcher Cristián Henríquez Pastene participated in the 3rd International Congress on Physical of Estuarine and Coastal Ocean in Puerto Varas, where he presented the work: “Hydrographic Variability in Northern Chilean Patagonia (2018–2025): Preliminary EOF Analysis” At this event, the researcher was able to exchange experiences and knowledge with national and international experts specialized in coastal and estuarine physical oceanography, thus strengthening collaboration networks for our institution. His research applies the Empirical Orthogonal Function...
Within the framework of the current scientific observers (SO) exchange agreement between IFOP and the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP), Argentina, the second deployment of an SO from our institution was recently carried out on the cruise, ‘Survey for the evaluation of the abundance of Argentine anchovy (Engraulis anchoita) of the Buenos Aires stock’. A prospecting survey to estimate the resource stock, jointly developed by INIDEP and the National Directorate of Aquatic Resources (DINARA) of Uruguay,...
Región del Maule, December 3, 2025. Dr. Claudia Pérez, Senior Researcher of the Aquaculture Research Division of the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP), comments on the samples from Lake Vichuquén An intense cyanobacterial bloom was recently detected in Lake Vichuquén, after the Ministry of Health (MINSAL) requested the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) to carry out a specialized analysis of water samples due to the presence of discoloration and algal proliferation in the area. Lake Vichuquén, a coastal water body with...
On the morning of November 20, professionals from the Fisheries Development Institute participated in an enriching scientific outreach activity aimed at the boys and girls of the Antulem Kindergarten, located in the locality of Alerce in Puerto Montt. Mario Ortiz and Macarena Herrera attended the event, and specially characterized for the occasion, they turned the day into a magical experience focused on early learning about marine and freshwater ecosystems. The initiative aimed to bring science closer to young children...
Between November 25 and 27, within the framework of the Pelagic Fisheries Monitoring Program for the northern zone (between the Arica and Parinacota and Coquimbo regions), a series of meetings were held to disseminate information about the monitoring program and strengthen the relationship with the fishing sector and the work of the Scientific Observers (SOs). Meetings were coordinated with the SOs at the various IFOP bases, primarily addressing form completion procedures and technical inquiries. The importance of maintaining fluid...
In Valparaíso, a workshop was held to disseminate information about the BIOLOGICAL STUDY PROGRAM FOR SQUID IN AREAS OUTSIDE THE FISHING GROUNDS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON RENEWAL AND GROWTH RATES. This program complements the studies carried out in the MONITORING PROJECT. The workshop was led by project manager Karen Belmar, who stated, “This project lasted two years and collected data from Arica to Biobío. The data obtained improves our understanding of the species, especially regarding age estimation. In terms...
The Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) participated on Friday, November 21, in a training session with second-year students of the Bachelor of Education in Primary Education program at the Austral University of Chile (UACh), Puerto Montt campus. The activity took place at the Faculty of Sciences and Nature on the Pelluco Campus and aimed to enrich initial teacher training with direct experiences related to aquatic ecosystems, their functioning, and their relevance to the Los Lagos Region. The invitation was extended...
The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) hosted a comprehensive day of analysis and discussion this Friday as part of World Aquaculture Day. The event, organized by the Aquaculture Working Group of the National Oceanographic Committee (CONA) with support from Sernapesca, brought together representatives from the public sector and specialists in aquaculture in Chile. The day included welcoming remarks from the president of the CONA Aquaculture Working Group, Marcelo Campos Larraín, and the CONA executive secretary, Juan Cuneo Arenaldi,...
The Mussel Larval Monitoring Program of the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) actively participated in the 10th Seminar on Research and Innovation Applied to Mussel Farming (SIIAM), held on November 27 at the CEDUC UCN-Castro facilities. The event brought together leading researchers, academics, and representatives from the production sector, solidifying its position as a key forum for the exchange of scientific knowledge and collaboration with the mussel farming industry. In this context, Dr. Cristian Segura Rivera, a researcher at IFOP,...
