The British government of the Falkland Islands is promoting a controversial salmon farming project, which has sparked massive rejection in Argentina due to its potential environmental and geopolitical impacts.
The company Unity Marine, with Danish and British capital, plans to produce 50 thousand tons of salmon per year, with the aim of scaling up to 200 thousand tons.
The initiative is currently under public consultation until August, but environmental groups and scientists warn of the threat it poses to the marine ecosystem and the surrounding areas of Patagonia, including Tierra del Fuego, where salmon farming has been prohibited since 2021.
Environmental Impact and Concerning Precedents
The project involves the installation of eight farms located 3 to 7 km off the coast of East Falkland, with an initial investment of 5 million pounds (6.7 million dollars).
While James Wallace, director of Unity Marine, defends the initiative as an economic driver, organizations like Malvinas Libres de Salmón describe it as “environmental destruction”.
Catalina Cendoya from the NGO Por el Mar compared the impact of the farms with the Chilean model, explaining that “a salmon farm is a feedlot in the water: it releases chemicals, pesticides, and generates dead zones due to excrement.”
The Chilean precedent serves as a warning, as salmon farming has caused:
- Red tides and contamination from antibiotics.
- Thousands of tons of dead salmon in Los Lagos and Aysén.
- Labor precariousness, with 80 workers deceased between 2013 and 2024.
Rejection in Argentina and Resistance within the Falklands
The project faces unanimous rejection in Argentina, where Tierra del Fuego banned salmon farms following a social struggle.
Prensa Obrera has denounced the initiative as “imperialist plunder”, while within the Falkland Islands themselves, the group Salmon Free Falklands calls for boycotting the public consultation, which they consider confusing and biased.
A New Environmental and Geopolitical Conflict
“If there are salmon in the Falklands, they will reach the mainland. They are predators that will alter the balance forever”, warned Cendoya.
Argentina faces a new challenge, which jeopardizes the future of its ecosystems and its stance against the British advancement in the Patagonian territory.
