[Patagon Journal] New campaign launched to end salmon farming in Chile's protected areas

Last month, a new coalition of 37 Chilean organizations, called the Alliance for the Defense of Protected Areas, was formed to launch the "Save Patagonia" campaign in response to a report by the Comptroller General's Office (CGR) that reveals serious deficiencies in the management of salmon farming concessions.

Under the slogan "For the exit of salmon farms from protected areas, without relocation", the campaign seeks to eliminate salmon farming concessions within national parks and national reserves in southern Chile.

The alliance, composed mainly of foundations and environmental organizations, points in particular to a key finding of the CGR report, according to which, despite the fact that several salmon farming concessions should have expired due to non-compliance with the country's laws, they continue to operate in protected areas.

"National parks and national reserves are biodiversity refuges that should not be used for industrial production. We must strengthen environmental institutions to guarantee the conservation of this natural heritage," said Carolina Morgado, executive director of Fundación Rewilding Chile and a member of the alliance.

Flavia Liberona, executive director of the environmental policy group of Santiago's Terram Foundation and also part of the alliance, stresses that the salmon industry has grown exponentially in breach of current legislation, including production in excess of authorized environmental permits and evasion of environmental assessments. "The disciplinary procedures ordered by the CGR to the National Fishing and Aquaculture Service and the Undersecretariat of the Armed Forces to determine administrative responsibilities are a crucial step to protect the coastal-marine ecosystems affected by salmon farming," said Liberona.

There are currently 408 salmon farming concessions in protected areas: Laguna San Rafael National Park (2), Magdalena Island National Park (8), Alberto de Agostini National Park (19), Las Guaitecas National Reserve (313) and Kawésqar National Reserve (66).

The Aysén Region is one of the most impacted by salmon farming. Of the 1,380 concessions nationwide, 716 are in Aysén, with 323 located within national parks and reserves. "We support this campaign because it is necessary to reinforce the efforts that various organizations and inhabitants are developing to problematize the impacts of salmon farming," commented Erwin Sandoval, president of the Corporation for the Development of Aysén (Codesa).

Adds Carolina J. Zagal, president of the Valdivia-based Oceanosfera Foundation, that the fjords and canals have unique marine ecosystems and species that are supposed to be safeguarded in areas protected from industry pollution. "Chile's protected areas were created to be protected. They do not offer protection when activities incompatible with conservation such as aquaculture are allowed in them, do not have an adaptive management plan, and are not effectively controlled, monitored and evaluated."