The Environmental Department of the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) officially announces the start of the 2025–2026 mussel seed collection season in the Los Lagos Region (Region X). This announcement is based on the results of the larval monitoring program carried out year-round in the area, funded by the Undersecretariat for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca).
The program has detected a significant increase in D-larvae concentration, indicating recent spawning events of mussel breeders (Chilean mussels, Mytilus chilensis). These events were identified at the end of September 2025 and mark the beginning of the seed collection season for the 2025–2026 period.
The main areas where high larval concentrations were detected include Hornopirén with approximately 50,000 larvae m-3, Pichicolo with 230,000 larvae m-3, Castro with 1,972 larvae m-3, and Compu with 4,181 larvae m-3. These data should alert mussel farmers to evaluate their activities related to the preparation of collectors used for seed capture.
All the information generated by the program is available on IFOP’s digital platform “Semilla Endémica” (https://www.ifop.cl/monitoreo-larvas-de-mitilidos/
), allowing users to access our simple and intuitive online graphic systems, which can support their own productive management decisions within the mussel farming sector.
The Los Lagos Region holds a key position in mussel production in Chile, with this activity serving as a major driver of both regional and national economies. The implementation of the larval monitoring program aims to support, through scientific information, responsible practices for mussel seed collection (aquaculture based on seed capture), as well as the regulatory management promoted by the Undersecretariat for Fisheries and Aquaculture (SUBPESCA), which fosters a balance between exploitation and long-term conservation of the resource.
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