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<\/a>The professional noted that Article 91 of the General Law on Fisheries and Aquaculture establishes that, “the Undersecretariat will develop the necessary research program for the regulation of fisheries and aquaculture. The results of this research will serve as the basis for the management and conservation measures, and for the decision-making process for extractive fishing and aquaculture activities.”<\/p>\nHe also highlighted that the budget for the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture’s basic or ongoing research program for the 2026-2027 agreement includes 13 aquaculture initiatives totaling $6.2 billion pesos, of which $752 million pesos are allocated to health research projects. These projects include monitoring the health status of wild fish, tracking bacterial resistance to antimicrobials, and monitoring the resistance of Caligus rogercresseyi<\/i> to antiparasitic drugs.<\/p>\n
Health Surveillance in Wild Fish<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the main topics addressed during the workshop was the presentation “Evaluation and Surveillance of the Health Status of Wild Fish in Freshwater and Marine Environments, 2025-2026,” given by Juan Carlos Quintanilla, a researcher in the Hydrobiological Health Department of IFOP (the Fisheries Development Institute).<\/p>\n The researcher added that \u201cregarding the interaction and transmission of diseases between native and farmed species, further studies (experimental\/field) are needed to evaluate the potential for PA transmission, given the limited existing data on this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n He also emphasized that \u201cmore research is needed to identify population structures in wild fish, which will allow us to establish a foundation for understanding mobility patterns in wild fish populations in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Bacterial Resistance to Antimicrobials<\/strong><\/p>\n The day continued with the presentation “Monitoring Bacterial Resistance to Commonly Used Antimicrobials in Chilean Salmon Farming, 2025-2026,” presented by Cristian Valenzuela, a researcher in the Hydrobiological Health Department of IFOP (the Fisheries Development Institute).<\/p>\n “Within the framework of Phase XII (2025-2026) of the program for monitoring bacterial resistance to commonly used antimicrobials (AMB) in Chilean salmon farming, IFOP conducted 34 samplings in the Los Lagos and Ays\u00e9n regions, encompassing five salmon farming companies, 32 fish farms, and 19 Salmon Farming Concession Areas (ACS),” explained Cristian Valenzuela.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u201cThe detection of pathogenic agents (PAs) in wild fish and free-living salmonids, with particular attention to *P. salmonis*, raises questions about the epidemiological role of native fauna as potential reservoirs and\/or transmitters of diseases,\u201d stated Juan Carlos Quintanilla.<\/p>\n