Take Action: Protect Patagonia from Salmon Farming!
MR. CRISTIAN FRANZ THORUD, SUPERINTENDENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN CHILE
Near the southernmost tip of the Americas, blue whales, Chilean dolphins, penguins and elephant seals swim through deep blue fjords and into the open ocean. An idyllic Antarctic coastline stretches as far as the eye can see.
The isolation of this breathtaking stretch of Chile’s Southern Patagonia has thus far protected the Magallanes Region from development and commercial exploitation.
But a pink menace looms heavy on the horizon, threatening the very survival of life in these waters: farmed salmon.
Chile is the second largest producer of salmon in the world. The industry, which developed along coastlines further north, has long placed profits above environmental concerns, creating in its wake oceanic dead zones devoid of life.
The pristine conditions of the Magallanes Region make the ecosystems less resilient to human intervention than those further north. So it’s particularly worrisome that salmon farms have already begun working their way into this unique corner of Patagonia.
In the last two years, 81 percent of new salmon farm concessions in Chile have been located in Magallanes. Yet more than half of the farms operating there have already reported anaerobic conditions, leaving oxygen-less dead zones in the ocean, according to government reports.
Despite this salmon boom and the environmental problems it has caused, no complete study has been carried out on the impact the farms could have on this unspoiled wilderness.
With many more permits pending approval, the collapse of the region’s rich marine environment is an imminent risk.
YOU can help us protect the pristine waters of Patagonia!
Tell the Chilean government to enforce regulations on existing salmon farms in Magallanes, investigate their impacts, and sanction the companies responsible for any damages.
To:
MR. CRISTIAN FRANZ THORUD, SUPERINTENDENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN CHILE
From:
[Your Name]
Subject: Investigate damages caused by salmon farms in the Magallanes and Antarctic regions of Chile, and sanction the companies responsible.
Dear Mr. Franz Thorud:
We the undersigned kindly request that you investigate and sanction the damages being committed by salmon farming concessions in the Magallanes and Antarctic regions of Chile.
In two audits commissioned by the Comptroller General of the Republic in September 2016, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service found 53 percent of the salmon farming concessions operating in Region XII between 2013 and 2015 to be anaerobic. Such cases make it clear that the capacities of the water bodies housing the salmon farms have been exceeded.
Fish cultivation generates significant organic residue—made up of unconsumed food and fish feces—that accumulates on the sea floor. Without adequate control of fish populations, the capacity of water bodies can easily be exceeded, causing eutrophication, which sucks the oxygen out of the water and makes life difficult and even impossible. Some effects of eutrophication include: red tides, turbid waters, physical and chemical changes in sediments, and even death of marine vegetation, corals and fish.
The excessive discharge of nutrients into the marine environment is also related to the proliferation of toxic algae, which has already affected Chilean seas where aquaculture centers operate. In mid-2016, for example, we witnessed the mass stranding of wildlife due to the proliferation of this algae. This event demonstrates the link between the intensification of red tides and the increased presence of nitrogen in the water column as a consequence of salmon activity.
With the history of environmental damage the industry has caused in other regions of the country, the collapse of the marine environment of the Magallanes is an imminent risk, particularly considering the fragility of the region’s highly unspoiled wilderness.
Infractions of aquaculture companies
Aquaculture companies causing anaerobic conditions in the Magallanes region are in violation of the Constitution of the Republic, the General Fisheries and Aquaculture Law, and the Environmental Rules and Regulations for Aquaculture.
In addition, international conventions and treaties ratified by the State of Chile are being violated. Thus Law 20.417 is applicable, giving the Superintendent of the Environment the power to oversee compliance with the Environmental Qualification Resolutions.
We have filed a formal complaint with the Superintendent of the Environmental in which we request to exercise the supervisory jurisdiction to initiate a thorough investigation into damages the industry is causing in the Magallanes and Antarctic regions of Chile.
We also ask you to sanction companies that have caused anaerobic condition in the marine environment.
Sincerely,