Juan Maneiro, Competitiveness and Technological Innovation CEO of Galicia. (Photo: Xunta)

Galician authority denies farmed salmon mass mortalities

SPAIN
Monday, November 21, 2011, 02:50 (GMT + 9)

The Competitiveness and Technological Innovation CEO of Xunta de Galicia, Juan Maneiro, stated that Asoar-Armega association's complaint last October on the mortality of salmon in the cages installed in the estuary of Muros is a media "fallacy" of "apocalyptic scale."

The official denied the death of up to 500 salmon and clarified that only two specimens of the North West Food Company in the area died due to a parasite that develops when the waters are really warm.

The staff of the Coast Guards and of the Administration of Galicia, and the divers hired by the company found only the two dead salmon mentioned.

Maneiro explained that the dead salmon in Noia's cage were transferred to a mink farm located in Rois (A Coruña) to feed these animals.

He considered that the industrial and fishing sector has to plan ahead because "it has become vulnerable as a result of the crisis, the worst and the longest it has gone through," the agency EFE reported.

The main objective is to maintain and consolidate the fishing fleet, the official of the Xunta added.

Meanwhile, the issue of the installation of salmon cages in the estuary of Muros-Noia will be addressed in the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament (EP), the newspaper La Voz de Galicia reported.

The matter will be discussed in response to a request from BNG party, who urged the EC to investigate whether the Xunta Community funding was destined to support the North West Food project.

Related article:

- Dead salmon in experimental cage: food for minks

By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com

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