Chilean Customs officials seized 151,8 kilos of locos, a type of mollusk, at the El Loa outpost, located south of Iquique. These specimens, which were closed for fishing, were transported by a shellfish collector who intended to deliver them to restaurants in Calama, a city on the banks of the Loa River, gateway to the Atacama Desert.
The procedure was recorded when the person showed up in his truck loaded with sacks of mussels and the Scanner truck detected an irregularity in the vehicleThe officials proceeded to carry out the inspection and found the cases of mosquitoes under the tortora.
The loco, whose scientific name is concholepas concholepas, is in closed season from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022 for the purposes of its conservation due to overexploitation in open access areas.
Upon detecting the shipment without certification of cultivation area, Customs proceeded to seize it and information to the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service. The mollusks were handed over to Carabineros for final disposal, following instructions from the competent authority, and the offender was fined more than 6 million pesos.
About concholepas concholepas
The loco (Concholepas concholepas) lives on the coasts of Chile and Peru. Its meat is highly valued for gastronomy and its overexploitation has led to it being under constant restrictions and controls by the authorities.
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