Salmon farming in Tierra del Fuego has been prohibited for four years by Provincial Law No. 1533, a regulation that made the province a pioneer in the protection of marine ecosystems.
Now, the legislature is at the center of a strong controversy after the approval of a report that seeks to modify the rule.
This happened after the intention to allow intensive salmon farming, mainly driven by productive sectors, regained strength in recent weeks.
Controversy over salmon farming: the report amid a controversial session
Last month, two reform projects were debated, which were met with rejection from environmental organizations, indigenous communities, and national figures.
But the most controversial episode occurred last Friday when, in a vote full of irregularities, four deputies from the Fuegian Legislature’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Committee approved a favorable report to enable salmon farming.
The vote took place after the joint session with Committee No. 1 ended and after environmentalists, scientists, and the committee’s president, Laura Colazo (Green Party), withdrew.
Controversy over salmon farming in Tierra del Fuego.
“During the session, we agreed to take a recess and the meeting ended. Later, some deputies stayed, lifted the recess, and approved the report without our presence,” denounced Pablo Villegas, deputy of the Fueguino Popular Movement and author of the law prohibiting salmon farming.
The legislators who supported the change were Myriam Noemí Martínez (Forja), Agustín Pedro Coto (La Libertad Avanza), Juan Carlos Pino (Justicialist Party), and Gisela Dos Santos (Sumemos Tolhuin).
Villegas announced that he will file an objection, denouncing a violation of the internal regulations and an attack on the principle of popular sovereignty.
What the new rule says
Law No. 1533 —approved in 2021— made Tierra del Fuego the first jurisdiction in the world to ban salmon farming in open sea. An activity known for its negative impacts on the marine ecosystem, such as disease spread, antibiotic pollution, and risk to native species.
The prohibition law dates back to 2021.
The decision to move forward with its modification reignites the debate between those who defend environmental protection and those who promote productive development through intensive salmon farming.
The new text proposes to “regulate sustainable development of aquaculture as a comprehensive agricultural activity in continental and jurisdictional maritime waters of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands.”
While article 3 maintains the prohibition of salmon farming in the Beagle Channel, the initiative does not exclude intervention in other water bodies currently protected.
This activity not only threatens the environment but also the health and economy of the province. The approval of this law has put Argentina in the global spotlight, positioning it as the first country to make such a significant decision regarding environmental care.
Adrian Schiavini, a scientist at CONICET, professor at the National University of Tierra del Fuego, and researcher at the Wildlife Conservation Society, expressed his views on the matter a few weeks ago.
“This proposal to modify the law seems like a new attempt to advance with a polluting production model that has already left dead zones in Chile and seeks new locations to continue salmon farming in our waters,” he said.
“A costly product that does not solve hunger because it is for a few and with little job creation,” he added.
Dangers of salmon farms.
Why they seek to advance with salmon farms
Currently, the growth of the salmon industry in Chile depends on its geographical expansion to the Magallanes region.
This is because the diseases (viral, bacterial, and parasitic fish diseases) introduced by the industry itself in the regions of Los Lagos and Aysén led to a situation of health and environmental collapse.
This situation forced the industry to seek new healthy environments to operate. This is indicated in the AIDA report on the risks of salmon farming expansion in Patagonia.
Leticia Caro, from the Kawésqar Community Nomadic Sea Family Groups, emphasized her concern. “When we look at the overall scenario of the advance of an industry with no oversight, which manipulates its figures right and left, benefits from the scant legislation that exists,” she said.
“And now it seeks to overthrow indigenous rights, I find it a serious lack of respect for the multiple indigenous communities,” she added.
“Through threats and without even having suitable environmental studies, it is advancing towards the enrichment of a few, without considering the consequences of an industry that is highly polluting,” she concluded.
