[ElDesconcierto] Even Patagonia brand accuses salmon companies of leaving "dead zones" in protected seas of southern Chile

More than 400 salmon farms operate in Patagonia's National Parks and Reserves, failing on hundreds of occasions to comply with environmental regulations. Scientists from around the world used the case as an example of the lack of protection of nature, in an open letter to COP 16.

The seabed is usually teeming with life, except under salmon cages, where excess nutrients and salmon waste leave "dead zones," according to scientists who have studied the industry's impact. This occurs in Patagonia within seas that are under official protection due to their natural value.

Specifically, according to a survey carried out by the Save Patagonia citizen campaign, there are 406 salmon farming concessions installed within marine protected areas in the regions of Aysén and Magallanes, which represent 30% of the total number of salmon farming concessions in the country.

In Aysén, there are 8 salmon farming concessions in Magdalena Island National Park, 2 in Laguna San Rafael National Park, and 313 in Las Guaitecas National Reserve. In Magallanes, there are 19 concessions in the Alberto de Agostini National Park, and 66 in the Kawésqar National Reserve. In total, these concessions cover more than 15,000 hectares.

Within the Patagonian protected areas, salmon companies have been involved in environmental and legal scandals such as overproduction of salmon above the permitted limits and modification of the seabed to hide environmental damage.

The Terram Foundation has recorded at least 119 cases of overproduction of salmon that were not detected by the environmental agency, the Superintendencia de Medio Ambiente (SMA). Twenty-four occurred in the Alberto de Agostini National Park, 84 in the Guaitecas National Reserve, and 11 in the Kawésqar National Reserve.

Environmentalism and science on alert

The updated registry of salmon farming concessions within National Parks and Reserves was carried out by researchers from different organizations grouped under the Save Patagonia campaign, which calls for the removal of salmon farms from protected areas, without relocation.

In this campaign, 37 organizations are participating, including national NGOs such as Rewilding Chile, Terram, Chile Sustentable or even the outdoor clothing brand Patagonia. They join the growing movement of territorial organizations in places like Chiloé, where they have been experiencing the consequences of salmon farming expansion for years.

Industrial salmon farming activity within protected seas in Patagonia has also captured the attention of scientists around the world, as this region is home to some of the most pristine waters on the planet, for now.

This warning was expressed in an open letter signed by more than 70 scientists from Chile, Argentina, Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries, addressed to world leaders who met in Cali during the first days of November to celebrate a new world biodiversity summit, COP 16.

In the letter they warn that industrial activities such as mining, industrial fishing or cattle ranching are operating around the world within natural areas that are under supposed official protection due to their value, undermining efforts to protect nature. They mention the situation occurring in Patagonia with salmon farming concessions as an example.