Will Chile's Trump be a net gain for fish farmers?

Salmon farmers in Chile have called for a more expansion-friendly environment following the election of José Antonio Kast as the country’s new president at the weekend.

The hardline conservative’s focus is on tackling violent crime and immigration, but he has also promised to slash regulation and taxes to boost economic growth.

Chile is the world’s second-largest producer of farmed salmonids, after Norway, exporting 782,000 tonnes of Atlantic and coho salmon, and rainbow trout, last year. But the salmon sector’s ambitions to grow further have been frustrated by regulatory barriers during the term of outgoing leftwing president Gabriel Boric.

Law 'being mis-used'

Before yesterday’s run-off between Kast and leftwing candidate Jeanette Jara, the sector had stressed the importance of addressing two issues: the Lafkenche Law, which ensures that indigenous communities have access to the water for traditional pursuits, and the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (BPAS) Law.

Fish farmers and other groups argue that the Lafkenche Law is being mis-used by indigenous groups hostile to fish farming who are demanding control of massive areas of the sea near the coast, sometimes with the help of foreign NGOs.

The BPAS Law is said to be causing great uncertainty about whether farmers will be able to continue operations in some areas.

'Real change'

Speaking at 10pm local time yesterday, president-elect Kast said:  "I am going to be the President of all Chileans, without exclusion, because today there are some who are celebrating, others who are not celebrating and are sad, some are anxious, because what they wanted did not happen, but to face the emergencies we have today we need everyone (...) Chile is going to have a real change, which you will begin to perceive soon."

In response, Arturo Clément, president of SalmonChile, said: "We trust that the new government will promote policies that strengthen decentralisation, boost regional economies, and guarantee a stable regulatory framework for sectors like ours. The national salmon farming industry requires a forward-looking vision that balances competitiveness, sustainability, and territorial development."

"We reaffirm our commitment to actively collaborate with the new authorities, contributing our experience and technical knowledge to the design and implementation of public policies based on scientific evidence. We look forward to working together to consolidate Chile as a global leader in sustainable aquaculture, generating quality employment in the regions and contributing to the country's economic growth," said Clément.

'Allow us to grow'

For her part, Loreto Seguel, executive president of the Salmon Council, pointed out that "the new government faces the challenge of leading a national policy for salmon farming that allows us to grow and develop sustainably. Chile deserves it, as it does its second most exported product, and the thousands of families who are part of this industry in the south of our country".

"Chilean salmon is strategic for an industry that has transformed lives, combines innovation and talent, and positions us at the forefront globally. We are part of the solution to the global food challenge the world faces," Seguel explained.

Unblock processes

Carlos Odebret, president of the Magallanes Salmon Farmers Association, stated that controlling environmental externalities is essential, "but this cannot become a permanent obstacle to investment. Growth can and must occur sustainably, protecting the ecosystems where we operate and, at the same time, expanding job opportunities in the region".

"The first few months of the next government will be key. It is urgent to unblock long-delayed processes, such as the relocation and merger of concessions, the applications for Coastal-Marine Spaces of Indigenous Peoples (ECMPO) that have been in process for more than five years, and the definition of management plans for protected areas. Many of these initiatives already have a favourable environmental assessment and are currently stalled due to a lack of clarity," Odebret explained.

An uneviable choice

Chile’s voters faced a choice of extremes yesterday, although both candidates edged towards the centre to broaden their appeal.

Jara faced the challenge of winning over voters concerned about her lifelong membership in Chile’s Communist Party, which supports authoritarian governments in Cuba and Venezuela. Jara came under fire early on in her campaign for referring to Cuba as a democracy.

Kast is a devout Catholic opposed to same-sex marriage and abortion, even in cases of rape, and is an admirer of US President Donald Trump and Brazil’s former hard-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

He has sought to deflect attention from what he calls traditional family values and his German-born father’s Nazi past but has made it clear that his views remain the same.