Photo: Stockfile/FIS

Judicial Setback for Salmon Company: Supreme Court Confirms Fine and Operations Suspension for Salmones Blumar for Providing False Information to Sern

CHILE
Monday, November 10, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

The country's highest court revoked a previous ruling and sanctioned the company for falsifying the date of an antiparasitic treatment against Caligidosis in November 2019, a serious offense that undermines sanitary and environmental control in the sector.

Maximum Sanction Confirmed

The Supreme Court of Chile has issued a unanimous ruling condemning the company Salmones Blumar S.A. to pay a fine and suspend operations at one of its farming centers for providing false information to the inspecting authority.

Photo: BLumar/YouTube

The highest court's resolution accepted an appeal filed by the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca), thereby reversing a previous ruling by the Coyhaique Court of Appeals that had acquitted the salmon company. The replacement judgment confirms the initial sanction, establishing the company's liability.

Details of the Infraction in the Aysén Region

The events that motivated the complaint by Sernapesca date back to November 2019, during a routine inspection at the farming center "Concheo 2" (code Nº110169), owned by Salmones Blumar S.A., located in the Aysén Region.

• Falsification of the Date: The company informed inspectors that the required antiparasitic treatment, within the framework of the Specific Sanitary Program for the Surveillance and Control of Caligidosis (known as "sea lice"), had begun on November 24, 2019.

• Sernapesca's Investigation: The service's subsequent investigation, however, determined that the treatment actually began on November 27 and 28, that is, after the date reported.

• Critical Infraction: The critical point of the infraction lies in the fact that the treatment was applied outside the "official bath window" authorized by Sernapesca. This constitutes a direct breach of sanitary regulations and Article 113 of the General Law of Fishing and Aquaculture, compromising the control mechanisms aimed at preventing the spread of the plague.

  The Supreme Court's ruling highlights that the conduct reveals a significant risk to the sector's environmental management, by compromising the control mechanisms designed to prevent the contamination of the southern fjords and channels.

Photo: BLumar/YouTube

Consequences of the Ruling

With the final judgment, Salmones Blumar S.A. must face two main penalties:

1. Economic Fine: The payment of a fine amounting to 500 Monthly Tax Units (UTM), which at the time of the resolution's publication was equivalent to about US$ 36,956.52 (approximately 34.7 million Chilean pesos).

2. Operational Suspension: The suspension of operations at the "Concheo 2" center for one full production cycle.

Authority's Assessment

Daniela Leiva, regional director of Sernapesca in Aysén, praised the judicial decision that supports the service's oversight role.

“The provision of false information is a serious offense that we cannot allow, and in this sense, we value the decision of the Supreme Court, which supports and validates our supervisory role to ensure compliance with the law in both the aquaculture and fishing sectors,” Leiva stated.

This ruling reinforces the demand for transparency and accountability from the aquaculture industry toward state bodies.

Related News:

• Blumar is sentenced for providing false information to Sernapesca

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