Chilean ministry takes aquaculture law consultation to fish farming areas
Published
Chile's fisheries ministry, Subpesca, and academics from a Chilean aquaculture institute will this week hold the first in a series of consultation meetings to let people have their say about a proposed General Law on Aquaculture (GLA).
The Southern University of Chile’s Institute of Aquaculture and Environment is working with Subpesca in the collaborative project.
Fish farming companies, citizens of the communities where aquaculture is carried out, and workers in the sector will be invited to participate in the consultation workshops.
Subpesca aims to draft a bill that both addresses and
responds to the challenges that the aquaculture sector faces in the coming
decades and that continues to contribute to the sustainable development of the
activity and national and global food security.
Consultation schedule
| Date | Location |
| October 18 | Puerto Natales |
| October 22 | Temuco |
| October 24 | Puerto Aysén |
| October 29 | online format |
| November 4 | Puerto Montt |
| November 5 | Castro |
| November 6 | Quellón |
| November 8 | Hornopirén |
| November 12 | Coquimbo |
Discussions are expected to be framed within the eight pillars identified for the GLA: (1) Access; (2) Aquaculture Territorial Planning; (3) Environmental (Sustainable Approach); (4) Animal Health and Welfare; (5) Research for Decision Making; (6) Supervision and Sanctions; (7) Production Chains and Marketing; and (8) Governance.
A long process
Subpesca seeks to involve all stakeholders in consultations, and is inviting small, medium and large aquaculture companies, as well as users and society in general, to regional and provincial workshops, to collect information about the needs, problems and proposals of each territory.
Subpesca told Fish Farming Expert’s Chilean sister site, Salmonexpert, that it expects to present the Aquaculture Bill during 2025, and that therefore it is very likely that debate will extend throughout the remainder of President Gabriel Boric’s term and into a future government.
“Companies in the territories will be considered in the field calls for tenders, and everyone is invited to participate in the participatory process and, of course, they always have the possibility of requesting lobbying with the authorities within the framework of the new Aquaculture Law,” announced Subpesca.
