Drop in Chile salmon production has led to the loss of more than 1,500 jobs
A decline in salmon production in the Magallanes region of Chile has led to the loss of 1,500 processing jobs, an industry spokesman has said.
Carlos Odebret, president of the Magallanes Salmon Farmers Association, highlighted the job losses in a call for the government to address challenges to the sector’s growth.
More than three years ago, the Magallanes salmon industry recorded its peak production, reaching 180,000 tonnes. Last year, salmon production was 100,000 tonnes, a 44.4% drop.
“This means one less shift at each of the processing plants,” news site La Prensa Austral (The Southern Press) reported Odebret as saying.
Single shift
“The processing plants currently operate with a single shift,” added Odebret.
“We have room to hire more people, but production volumes aren't reaching full processing capacity.”
Coastal zoning, the granting of Environmental Qualification Resolutions, the resolution of Coastal Maritime Spaces for Indigenous Peoples, the controversial Kawésqar National Reserve Management Plan, and delays in deciding applications for new fish farms are all given as reasons for limited production growth.
“We see in the coastal zoning a rather limited view of development,” said Odebret, who explains that the zoning excludes all protected wilderness areas. These areas in Magallanes represent 60% of the territory. “The regional government is leaving the management of these areas to other institutions, such as the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service.”
59 applications stalled
Regarding the Coastal Maritime Space for Indigenous Peoples (ECMPO) legislation, there have been requests pending resolution since 2018. “The ECMPO paralyses any concession procedures,” said Odebret.
The proposal for the Kawésqar National Reserve is undergoing indigenous consultation, although salmon farmers do not like the management plan under discussion, as it was drafted by the US-based NGO Pew Charitable Trust.
La Prensa Austral reported that there are 59 applications for new Magallanes salmon farm concessions that have been waiting more than eight years for processing. They cover 676 hectares of land distributed among the municipalities of Puerto Natales (18), Punta Arenas (3), and Río Verde (38).
