Revocation of the license of a salmon farming center in Chile

The third environmental court ruling joins two other rulings issued recently in the same area and is the sixth issued in the reserve, as residents fight to prevent environmental pollution and other damages caused by this industry.

Salmon farming is part of intensive fish farming and is common in many developed countries, such as Norway, where there are strict rules about its operation.

In Chile, this activity is usually carried out by multinational corporations that, in order to obtain greater profits, violate the rules and cause serious damage to the environment.

The main problems occur during the salmon fattening phase, which takes place in large floating ponds, the size of a football field, crowding thousands of fish, whose rearing requires a heavy use of chemicals and antibiotics.

This creates toxic waste that pollutes the water, harms other species, and degrades the sea floor, as well as being a danger to whales and dolphins that are often caught in nets.

Environmental organizations decry that foreign companies use up to 800 times more antibiotics in Chilean Patagonia than are allowed in their home countries.

In addition, they prey on the local marine fauna to prepare the necessary food in hatcheries, as one kilogram of salmon is required to produce between two and three kilograms of other fish.

After learning of the court ruling, Heidi Aguila, of the Cowesqar Communities Sea Defense Organization, said whales, sea lions, dolphins and other species now have a new opportunity to cross safely through the area.

He added that this is a big step to change environmental assessments and overcome the shortcomings that have emerged in recent years.

poem / car / eam