SalmonChile defensive over lake contamination
Kate Casey SalmonChile was quick to defend its position with the WWF, whereas Marine Harvest was quick to announce that the company will abide by the NGO’s request. “Each day more consumers and large scale buyers are aware of where their foods come from. Chile has become the world’s second largest producer of farmed salmon, but the industry must improve its environmental practices if it intends to survive in the world market.” This comment came from David Tecklin, representative of the World Wildlife Fund in Chile when questioned by the newspaper El Mostrador regarding the WWF’s recent publication, “The Eco-region of Valdivia: history, trends and environmental impacts”, which emphasizes the environmental impact of salmon farming in Chile’s fresh water lakes. “The lakes of Chile’s southern region are a global treasure. The contamination caused by salmon production is completely evitable,” adds Tecklin, referring to the use of land based recirculation technology for the fresh water phase of salmon production. According to AQUA.cl, SalmonChile was disappointed by the report in that it emphasized the effects of salmon farming yet did not consider the effects of tourism, livestock production, or deforestation upon the same lakes. The report mentions that Chile produced 91 million smolts in 1998, and by 2005 the salmon industry was producing 293 million. Such huge increases in production have not been the case with tourism, livestock production nor deforestation. “Our sector is the most regulated that exists in the Lakes Region (Region 10). The law obligates us to take periodical measurements of environmental parameters, based on scientific data and not ideological propostions”, states Cesar Barros, representive of SalmonChile. Meanwhile a day following this news in El Mostrador, Marine Harvest was quick to announce to El Mercurio that the company is currently using recirculation technology to some degree, and plans to remove all of its fresh water cages during the next few years. The company plans to gradually switch to recirculation technology in all of its freshwater concession areas.
