Lago Sofia: technology, animal welfare and circular economy in salmon farming

12 kilometers from Puerto Montt is the Lago Sofía fish farm, which stands out for its cultivation technology in individual recirculation systems (RAS) (97% water recirculation rate) and its strong focus on innovation, animal welfare, and circular economy.

The fish farm is located on a 4,000 m² site and has 30 tanks of 100 and 300 m³, divided into different facilities, where they receive fish weighing between 40 and 50 grams to dispatch them to sea farming centers at about 150 grams. The company currently has the capacity to produce between 12 to 15 million smolts annually, which represents about 205 tons of fish, and 8% of the national production of smolts.

During a tour of the fish farm, we are welcomed by Alejandro Delgadillo, head of Production at Lago Sofia, an aquacultural engineer with 15 years of experience in the industry, specifically in freshwater processes and recirculation, who has been working at the fish farm for two years.

Among the innovations of the fish farm highlighted by the Lago Sofia specialist is the metal treatment system in the water, which allows them to remove iron and manganese so as not to affect the fish. Additionally, he highlights the sludge disposal plant, where they treat approximately 35 tons of sludge per month, which can be allocated to other uses in collaboration with different companies.

The company has just purchased a nearby fish farm to, in addition to increasing its production, be able to perform the complete freshwater cycle from egg to smolt, going through first feeding and fry.

In the same facilities, new ponds will also be constructed, in addition to something that the firm has announced since the beginning of its operations, integrating their operations into a vegetable cultivation system, to transform into an aquaponics fish farm.

Read the latest edition of Salmonexpert magazine, partner of LandbasedAQ, where the article on the site visit to Lago Sofia is presented, here.