Salmon Council director of studies Jorge Lira, executive director Joanna Davidovich, and regional director Gonzalo Silva yesterday. Photo: Salmonexpert.

Wildlife Areas bill ‘threatens 30% of salmon farms’

Chilean salmon farmers’ group, the Salmon Council, has warned that a bill currently advancing in Congress (parliament) would slash the country’s salmon production by a third.

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The Salmon Council represents three of Chile’s four biggest Atlantic salmon farmers – AquaChile, Cermaq, and Mowi – and coho farmer Salmones Aysén.

In a meeting yesterday, the Council warned that if the bill is passed, “no productive activity could be carried out in any type of wilderness area”.

The Council’s executive director, Joanna Davidovich, said there are currently several legislative initiatives that are complex and directly affect salmon farming, since they change its regulation.

“We have participated in many of these discussions, and we have been presenting in Congress in different sessions of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate,” said Davidovich.

Alarming indications

“One of the bills that concerns us a lot and that has been under discussion for some time, is the creation of the Biodiversity and Protected Wildlife Areas Service. This project creates different categories of protection such as Natural Monuments, National Parks and Nature Reserves, distinguishing between each of them and determining whether it can be used for some productive purpose or restricted only to caring for the environment, or whether it is allowed to reconcile the productive activities with care for the environment, developing management plans, objects of protection, among others.”

In the process of the bill’s development, there have been alarming indications, not only for salmon farming, but also for the different productive activities, said Davidovich.

“These indications seek, without distinguishing these categories, to eliminate all productive activities from all wild areas. Therefore, no productive activity could be carried out in any type of wild area, be it a reserve, park, or multiple use area, which is currently in the law and is permitted. Although the bill is well oriented, we hope that the indications will be mitigated.”

The Salmon Council chief added: “If salmon farming is eliminated from the Natural Reserves, where they have been admitted in accordance with the law, the current activity is reduced by 30%. And this does not [only] mean producing less salmon, but also less employment, fewer associated enterprises, fewer suppliers, less economic activity in the southern regions of Chile.

“It is a problem that we are presenting to the authorities and parliamentarians, since, for example, in the Aysén Region, which has a percentage of Wilderness Areas that covers 50% of the region, a very negative effect would be generated. Therefore, the socioeconomic effects must be nuanced with care for the environment, and we are convinced that it can be done, making it compatible with good regulation.”

Indigenous rights

Davidovich pointed out that the Salmon Council was not opposed to the 2008 “Lafkenche Law” that established exclusive access rights for traditional indigenous use of coastal marine areas and resources.

“However, when this tool is misused, the entire coastline can be blocked and the progress of a region is ultimately affected, because no productive activity is allowed to develop,” said Davidovich. “And the community of a territory is affected because it paralyses ventures, supplier development, among others.”

Chile is the world’s second largest producer of farmed salmon, after Norway, but Davidovich said the sector requires clear, modern regulation to facilitate sustainable development.

“That is why we requested a study from PUC (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile) academics to analyse the regulation in other countries where salmon is produced, compare it and see what the best practices that can be adopted are.”