Salmon companies are required to moratorium and their urgent exit from lakes, fjords and canals of southern Chile
Salmon companies are required to moratorium and their urgent exit from lakes, fjords and canals of southern Chile. Pollution is outrageous for citizens, indigenous communities and scientists
Chiloe, April 14, 2021. (radiodelmar.cl) – Socio-environmental organizations, indigenous communities and scientists showed their outrage at a new and serious event of marine pollution caused by the salmon industry that operates in southern Chile and demanded an urgent exit of these companies from all fragile ecosystems such as lakes, fjords and channels where they operate. They also called for an immediate moratorium on the geographic expansion of these companies.
The statement coordinated by the Agrupación Defendamos Chiloe, and signed by the Mapuche-Williche, Kawesqar and Yagan communities, local organizations in Patagonia and renowned NGOs such as the Ecoceanos Centre, Tompkins Conservation and Greenpeace, is related to the latest episode of contamination marine generated by an algal bloom in the Comau Fjord, continental Chiloe, which produced a massive mortality of salmon.
The statement affirms that «widely known events of environmental damage have occurred over decades». Furthermore, these episodes have a «permanent and structural character» and that they are «as serious or more serious than the current one.»
Below we share the statement of the communities and southern organizations against contamination and expansion of the salmon industry.
Community public statement
We demand the exit of the salmon industry from lakes, fjords and channels
Patagonia, April 12, 2021
Given the latest salmon mass die-off event in the Los Lagos and Aysen regions, specifically in the Comau fjord and the Jacaf and Puyuhuapi channels; In addition to all the widely known events of environmental damage over the decades, and above all, the PERMANENT and STRUCTURAL nature of various events as serious or more serious than the current one, is that the organizations here signatory come to demand that the GOVERNMENT OF CHILE establish the immediate moratorium on salmon expansion: no more new concessions, no more expansion of current aquaculture concessions or its increase in biomass, as well as the URGENT DEPARTURE of these companies from all the fragile marine ecosystems such as lakes, fjords and channels of our «Chilota» Ecoregion and from there to the entire Patagonian marine.
Signed By:
1. Agrupación cultural, social y ambiental Monte Mar
2. Agrupación social y cultural Peñaflor Te Quiero Verde
3. Alfonso Cárcamo. Educador tradicional y artesano escultor Kawesqar
4. Asamblea ciudadana ultima esperanza (Acue)
5. Asamblea de Mujeres Insulares por las Aguas
6. Asociación Diaguita Amankay Kakan
7. Asociación Indígena Pewü Antū
8. Asociación Indigena Wilanitwa
9. Asociación Interamericana para la Defensa del Ambiente (Aida)
10. Asociación Mapuche Wuilliche Punta Arenas
11. Aysen Mira el Mar
12. Bioparque Austral
13. Blue Marine Foundation
14. Bosque Ciencia, Universidad de Chile
15. Centro de Análisis Socio-Ambiental (Casa)
16. Centro de Estudio y Conservación del Patrimonio Natural (Cecpan)
17. Centro Ecoceanos / Chile
18. Centro Ecológico Churque
19. Centro ProSus, Universidad de Chile
20. Chiloé Protegido
21. Chiloé-Silvestre
22. Ciudadanos y Clima
23. Comunidad ATAP
24. Comunidad Indígena Kawesqar Grupos Familiares Nómades del Mar
25. Comunidad indígena Timar
26. Comunidad Indigena Yaghan Bahía Mejillones
27. Consejo de la Cultura de Puyuhuapi
28. Corporación Camino a Farellones
29. Corporación Selk’nam Chile
30. Defendamos Chiloé
31. Fridays For Future Chile
32. Fundación Elemental Nature
33. Fundación Glaciares Chilenos
34. Fundación Glaciares Chilenos
35. Fundación Hach Saye
36. Fundación Lenga
37. Fundación Mar y Ciencia
38. Fundación Oceanósfera
39. Fundacion Rewilding Argentina
40. Fundación Rewilding Chile
41. Fundación Somos Aldea
42. Fundación Terram
43. Fundación Vegetarianos Hoy
44. Generación de Cambio
45. Greenpeace
46. Minga Chiloé
47. Mission Blue
48. Movimiento No Mas Anglo
49. Mujeres de Zona de Sacrificio en Resistencia de Quintero y Puchuncaví (Muzosare)
50. Observatorio Ciudadano
51. Ocoa Nativa
52. Ong Centro Ballena Azul
53. Ong FIMA
54. Ong Movimiento Acción por el Río Damas
55. Organización social de Turismo y Conservación
56. Patagonia
57. Red Austral de Acción Territorial
58. Red por los Ríos Libres
59. RedBioLAC
60. SCAC Magallanes y Red AAT
61. Sindicato Gente de Mar «Mar de todos Marichiweu»
62. Torres del Paine Legacy Fund
