Putemún Technology Centre for Aquaculture
Putemún Technology Centre for Aquaculture, is located in the rural sector of Ten-Ten about 10 Km from the city of Castro, Chiloe Island. In the early stages of the department, it´s research was oriented towards a production development, through the development of culture technologies for benthic resources of commercial importance.
Today the DMA department has become a research platform in basic and applied science, guided towards the development of sustainable aquaculture and conservation of its ecosystems. The department’s staff consists of 19 people, among researchers and technical personnel, whose main research interests are marine ecology, oceanography and aquaculture.
Putemún´s Marine Reserve was created by the D.S. 134 of July 31 2003 by the Ministry of Economy. It occupies an area of approximately 751 hectares and is characterized by the presence of a variety of marine species (macroalgae, gastropods, bivalves, echinoderms, crustaceans, fish, birds, etc.), being perhaps it’s most distinctive feature, the presence of Giant mussel (Choromytilus chorus) and mussel (Mytilus chilensis) banks.
The main objective of the Marine Reserve, is to maintain, restore and enhance the existing natural bank Choro (Choromytilus chorus) in the area and preserve the genetic heritage of this resource CTPA. Another of the CTPA ongoing activity is the mussel seed collection, promoting small-scale aquaculture and in particular mussel culture.