Magallanes health authorities close shellfish sectors due to red tide

The Regional Ministerial Secretariat of Health for Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica has ordered the closure of several sectors near Puerto Edén and Paso del Indio in the Última Esperanza province. This decision follows laboratory analysis from Punta Arenas that detected marine toxin levels exceeding safe limits for human consumption.

The prohibition, established via Resolution No. 1.208, bans the extraction, transport, processing, sale, and consumption of all shellfish susceptible to red tide toxins, including mussels, clams, limpets, and other species. The affected area is bounded by Islote Bishopp and Punta Paradise to the north, and Punta Graves and the Ayayema Islets to the south.

Paulina Solar, head of the Red Tide Program, stated that the closure was prompted by results from the I Norte Cruise provided by the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP). These areas had previously reopened in July after toxin levels subsided, but recent samples showed a renewed increase in paralytic shellfish toxins.