INTERVIEW with Piero Magnolfi Orsini Piero Magnolfi Orsini is Founder & General Manager of Colorado Chile HFM: Colorado Chile is the only company in the world that cultivates red cusk eel. Where did the idea to raise this species come from? PMO: The idea originated in 2006 and is a family initiative linked to the Magnolfi family – my father, a civil construction engineer, my brother, an environmental biologist, and myself, a marine biologist. In my early professional encounters, I saw red cusk eel broodstock (Genypterus chilensis) at the Quintay Marine Research Center of Andrés Bello University in Chile, and my father saw a business opportunity. At that time, 3,000 tons of red cusk eel were extracted in Chile, and today, only 400 tons are extracted due to overfishing. Additionally, red cusk eel is a well-known species in the country, so introducing it to the market wouldn’t require much marketing effort.
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During the first six years, we started with private capital and our own investment. As we began to see technical results, Corfo, a state entity supporting research and development in various areas, started supporting the initiative. We moved to the Coquimbo region with a raceway and low-column tank farming system. During the first two years, we focused on capturing wild broodstock, diving to understand the red cusk eel’s habitat, and evaluating stomach content to identify prey and seasonal feeding patterns. Red cusk eel is a gregarious species until maturity when they become solitary. This behavior has allowed their production in tanks with a low water column. In 2021, in collaboration with Aquamiks, we optimized the farming system, production, and juvenile quality.
Hatchery Feed & Management Vol 11 Issue 4 2023