Chilean presidential candidate would repeal law holding back fish farming

A candidate for Chile’s presidential election in November has called for the repeal of a controversial law blamed for stifling fish farming growth.

Right-winger Johannes Kaiser attacked the Lafkenche Law when answering questions from Fish Farming Expert’s Chilean sister site, Salmonexpert.cl.

The law guarantees indigenous coastal communities access and some control over the sea for traditional pursuits such as fishing by applying for Coastal Marine Spaces for Native Peoples (Espacios Costeros Marítimos de Pueblos Originarios, or ECMPO).

But in some cases indigenous communities with just a handful of people have claimed management rights for thousands of hectares of sea. Salmon farmers say the communities have been encouraged by foreign environmental organisations to make claims for the marines spaces so that they can block new fish farms and evict existing farms.

A long process

Applications under the Lafkenche Law can take a long time to process, and farmers can’t open new farms in a requested ECMPO until an application has been decided.

Asked what measures he would take to make Chilean salmon farming more competitive compared to countries such as Norway, National Libertarian Party candidate Kaiser said: “First, we would not impose stricter environmental requirements than those applied in Norway.

“We are planning a series of incentives that will benefit the entire economy, and we will also address the difficulties that have arisen from laws such as the Lafkenche Law and other environmental provisions, which have transformed large areas of our maritime territory into protected areas, despite the urgent need for economic development. In that regard, we will revert some of that legislation. In any case, we believe the Lafkenche Law should be repealed.”

Would block foreign NGO lawsuits

Kaiser also said that his party believes that NGOs that do not have an effective territorial connection to a specific area should not have standing to file environmental lawsuits.

Salmonexpert is contacting the presidential candidates to find out their views on salmon farming, a key industry in the south of the country.

Kaiser is currently an outsider in the race, which according to opinion polls from earlier this month is being led by Communisty Party member Jeanette Jara, who won a presidential primary in June that only leftist parties chose to take part in.

In an opinion poll conducted between July 1-6, Jara – now the only leftist candidate - had 39% of support. The right still has four candidates to whittle down - José Antonio Kast, of the right-wing populist Republican Party, who polled 23%; Evelyn Matthei (Independent Democratic Union), 15%; Kaiser, 7%; and Franco Parisi (Party of the People), 5%.

Read the full interview here.