Red conger eel cultivation is subjected to unprecedented evaluation by international experts

Although the link with international companies in the aquaculture sector has been present in most of the execution of this project, mainly within the framework of the Corfo’s Strategic Technology Program, with the input of leading co-executors in the field, never before, until this point, has it been subjected to a global and integrated evaluation of the entire country. Know how developed in these 16 years.

Before the commercial scale-up, the technical team of Colorado Chile, in agreement with Corfo, decided to submit the entire project to a technical test in the production models of the conger eel, from the protocols to the engineering. This task was in the hands of the company Aquatrade and your specific area Aquamiks, an Italian company of management, innovation and key strategies for aquaculture, whose human capital has more than 30 years of experience in the industry, participating in the aquaculture development of different marine species in more than 20 countries around the world.

About this link, the founder and operations manager of Colorado Chile, Spartaco Magnolfi, stated that “Colorado Chile is at a point of development where the experience of experts such as Aquamiks is key, with the most relevant contribution being that of focusing processes, protocols, designs and operation with an industrial perspective, a challenge that the company is about to face. In addition, he indicated that “they have a network of important collaborators in Europe, from producers of food and inputs for live diets, to cleaning technology and sanitary management, so they have the capacity to deliver different types of solutions to the challenges we entrust to them”.

With the technical support provided by the company, it was possible to refine results in the different production phases, resulting in an important leap in production and quality of juveniles. In addition, the innovation consultancy provided input testing for clean production and productive performance to scale commercially. incorporating a line of probiotics validated by the European Community, improving in the stages of hatchery to pre-fattening indicators such as; growth and conversion rate, size dispersion and survival. These improvements will have a direct impact both on the commercial line to present a better product in the market, as well as for future restocking plans.

The co-founder of Aquamiks, Giulia Moretti , spoke about the strengths and attributes of conger eel farming, highlighting “the incorporation of a new species for the diversification of the aquaculture offer and the appreciation that this has in the market”. As for the Know how, made special reference to the “knowledge achieved about the most critical processes of hatchery and pre-fattening”, and in relation to the species, he highlighted “its interesting characteristics, for resistance to adverse conditions, its high capacity for culture density and tolerance to captive conditions”.

For his part, Aquatrade professional Stelios Leontios, with more than 30 years in the global aquaculture market, said that “I have learned during all these years that the best asset is knowledge. Colorado Chile has accumulated knowledge and expertise in the cultivation of conger eel for more than 15 years, where the experts of Aquamiks have added 30 more years since the cultivation of other species in technical matters, engineering, larval rearing etc.

The professional emphasized that, “the consolidation of all that technical and practical knowledge results in a valuable, healthy and sustainable fish culture for the consumer, with total transparency” and that, “at the same time, this exchange, combination and accumulation of knowledge with the global aquaculture community, helps everyone involved to improve and take more experienced steps towards the maturity of aquaculture”.

Additionally, understanding the history of Colorado Chile and the technical achievements identified during the advisory process, Aquatrade took the initiative to commit to the design of the Business Plan To face the next phase of the project, after a joint work of 6 months, a finished document with all the aspects to be considered to enter the commercial field, projected for the next 15 years.

Stelios Leontios, who designed the business plan, said that “if it weren’t for people like the Magnolfi family, aquaculture would not have seen the growth it has had in the last 50 years,” and that “thanks to pioneers like these, we have learned to cultivate many species, thanks to their time, dedication, passion and money; With this, the aquaculture community is enriched in knowledge and applicable understanding of how to do it better for fish, for people, and for the environment.”

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Within this same linking circuit, Spartaco Magnolfi had the opportunity to attend the Università Politecnica delle Marche, located in northern Italy, to publicize the project. In this instance, a bilateral R+D agreement was agreed, this being the first approach of the academic institution with Latin America.

The agreement, which will be valid for 5 years, states that the parties agree to carry out collaborative R+D research on genypterus chilensis and other species of interest to aquaculture, with emphasis on nutrition, welfare and reproduction, and research into new products and equipment to be tested in aquaculture.

“There is significant potential for collaborative work between both parties. For Colorado Chile it is very important to have an ally like the Universita delle Marche, as it opens more doors for us in Europe to find possible lines of development that can have an impact on the company’s business model and on the industry as a whole,” concluded Spartaco Magnolfi.

During the next few months, the Strategic Technological Program of red conger eel will have completed its second and last stage of execution with all the objectives met. As indicated by the general manager of Colorado Chile, Piero Magnolfi, “the productive scale-up, and the commercial phase, will account for the consolidation of all the R+D for conger eel farming technology, materializing a capital of knowledge based on experience, vision, and interaction with the best in aquaculture and other fields of science.”