Disturbing Connections Between Mega Industrial Salmon Farming and Whale Deaths in the Protected Waters of Patagonia, the Southern Ocean, and Antarctica
The so-called “protected areas” in Chile are not the only zones where the salmon farming industry is endangering whale populations. Since 1994, the vast Southern Ocean has been designated as a whale sanctuary, prohibiting the capture of these large cetaceans. Yet, despite the fact that commercial whaling is not currently conducted there, whales continue to die due to human activities. The primary culprit is the krill fishery, whose increasing catch is primarily used as feed for intensively farmed salmon.
Juan Carlos Cárdenas (Centro Ecoceanos) and Elsa Cabrera (Centro de Conservación Cetacea)
During the last three months, four whales have tragically died in protected areas of Chilean Patagonia due to various interactions with the infrastructure and equipment associated with aquaculture facilities. However, these so-called “protected areas,” established by the Chilean government at the southern edge of our planet, are not the only places where an increasing number of whales—many of which are critically endangered—continue to perish as a result of deadly interactions with salmon farming operations and the shipping fleets associated to this export-driven industry.
The recent convention of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) held in Hobart, Australia, in October 2023, brought to light another troubling aspect of this industry’s ecocidal impact. According to an article published by the Associated Press in 2024, at least three humpback whales lost their lives after becoming entangled in the enormous trawl nets used to capture krill. Additionally, four more dead whales were recorded between 2021 and 2022 due to interactions with the industrial krill fishing fleet. This alarming situation is not an isolated incident; it reflects a disturbing recurring pattern.
Farmed Salmon: A Growing Threat to Marine Life
Krill, a small crustacean similar to shrimp, is a vital food source for Antarctic marine life, including whales. Unfortunately for these majestic mammals, krill is also one of the major fisheries in the Southern Ocean. Since krill produces the only marine oil that combines omega-3 fatty acids, phospholipids, and antioxidants—essential elements for growth, nutrition, and health—it is widely used in the production of omega-3 capsules and other products. However, the majority of krill harvested today ends up as fish meal and fish oil, used to feed various species of intensively farmed fish destined for the ever-growing global market.
In Chile, the mega salmon farming industry is the second largest in the world, with an annual production of one million tons. The government and transnational corporations plan to ramp up production to 1.2 million tons by 2032 in the waters of the Patagonian and sub-Antarctic regions. This expansion is underpinned by political and financial support from the Chilean government, which allows the operation of 416 industrial salmon farming concessions in national parks and marine protected areas in the southern part of the country. This, despite numerous complaints and scientific studies showing the serious threat posed by the expansion of intensive salmon farming to the conservation of these pristine areas and their fragile biodiversity. Cetaceans, in particular, have been impacted and even killed due to entanglements in anti-seal nets, collisions with vessels associated with the aquaculture industry, and ongoing pollution from organic, chemical, and plastic sources, among other factors.
The so-called “protected areas” in Chile are not the only zones where the salmon farming industry is endangering whale populations. Since 1994, the vast Southern Ocean has been designated as a whale sanctuary, prohibiting the capture of these large cetaceans. Yet, despite the fact that commercial whaling is not currently conducted there, whales continue to die due to human activities. The primary culprit is the krill fishery, whose increasing catch is primarily used as feed for intensively farmed salmon, prized for its high omega-3 content and natural pigments that give farmed salmon its desirable pink hue.
The Impact of Industrial Salmon Farming in Chile: Contributing to Whale Deaths from Patagonia to Antarctica
In late January 2024, a humpback whale became entangled in the nets of the Chilean krill trawler Antarctic Endeavour,owned by Pesca Chile S.A. After about 40 minutes of struggling to cut the nets, the whale was freed but displayed signs of lethargy and bleeding around its tail. According to a report from the recent CCAMLR meeting, scientific observers on board classified this event as a mortality incident, as the injuries sustained from the entanglement were undoubtedly fatal. In addition to this incident, two more humpback whales also died in 2024 due to interactions with the massive trawl nets used for krill capture.
Beyond direct fatalities from such interactions in feeding areas, krill fishing in the Southern Ocean poses a significant threat to the survival of large whale species by competing directly with their primary food source. A striking example of the extractive plundering occurring in the Southern seas took place on May 13, when the largest ever discharge of krill meal (1,280 tons) from Antarctic waters was recorded at the port of Punta Arenas, from the factory ship “Komandor de Norebo,” which is the largest vessel (121 meters long) to have unloaded this product at this Patagonian port. The 1.28 million kilograms of krill meal were stored at Mardones Wharf, awaiting shipment to their final destination.
According to CCAMLR reports, krill catches in the Southern Ocean have skyrocketed from 104,728 tons in 2007 to 424,203 metric tons in 2023. By October 2024, nearly 500,000 tons had already been harvested. Large factory fishing vessels, such as those from the Norwegian company Aker BioMarine, are draining the Southern Ocean of 500 tons of krill daily—equivalent to the daily diet of 150 humpback whales. Furthermore, areas of intense fishing activity overlap with the feeding grounds of large whales, explaining the systematic rise in whale deaths over recent years.
The Expansion of the Mega Salmon Industry: A New Threat to Whale Populations in Chilean Patagonia and Antarctica
In recent years, geopolitical and commercial interest in increasing Antarctic krill catches has accelerated, fueled by the expanding production of farmed salmon and trout for over 70 international markets.
The growing use of krill in the diets of industrially farmed salmon—as a food additive and for pigmenting their flesh to make it more appealing to consumers in the U.S., Canada, Japan, China, Australia, and Scotland—raises serious concerns. This is particularly alarming considering that industrial salmon monocultures based in Chile have seen a staggering production increase of 3,600% between 2019 and 2023. Norwegian transnational corporations have plans to continue expanding their operations into the coastal regions of Patagonia—both in Chile and Argentina—as well as into crucial sub-Antarctic zones of these South American countries by 2050.
As krill fishing continues to grow, various studies suggest that the abundance of this crustacean has diminished since the cessation of commercial whaling, likely due to the loss of nutrient recycling services once provided by the removed whales. This situation is further exacerbated by the recent CCAMLR meeting’s decision to allow the fishing limit of 620,000 metric tons—previously divided into four zones to prevent overexploitation—to concentrate on smaller, high-abundance areas of krill, many of which are also rich in wildlife… and whales. All of this happens as rising ocean temperatures and melting Antarctic ice threaten to reduce the Antarctic krill stock by as much as 30% by the end of this century.
Under these corcumstances, the increased effort to fish krill to supply the mega salmon industry is set to lead to a significant rise in whale deaths— species that are crucial for the healthy functioning of the ecosystem. And all at the expense of an environmentally unsustainable industry.
