Chilean Communities Fight for Ocean Health Against Salmon Farming Impacts

In the remote Guaitecas Archipelago of southern Chile, a dedicated group of locals is working to restore marine life devastated by intensive salmon farming. Yesica Fabiana Leviñanco and Paulo Vera Perez, who fish for shellfish, sea urchins, mussels, and crabs, have witnessed the drastic decline and subsequent partial recovery of the ocean's bounty in their region.

"For years the sea throughout this area was dead,” Leviñanco stated. “There were no birds, fish or marine animals. A salmon-farming facility had destroyed everything.”

Chile is the world's second-largest producer of salmon, an industry that exports billions of dollars annually, with the United States being its largest market. The salmon is not native to Chilean waters, having been introduced in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Guaitecas Archipelago, a national reserve comprising over 40 small islands and a gateway to Patagonia, is home to numerous salmon farms. These facilities discharge significant amounts of chemicals and antibiotics into the sea each year, according to reports. In the archipelago alone, at least 313 salmon farms have been authorized.

For years, the intensive salmon farming industry in Chile has faced criticism from scientists, environmental groups, fishers, and Indigenous communities. Accusations include polluting marine environments with chemicals, violating Indigenous rights, and breaching workplace safety regulations. Since 2013, 90 workers have died in the industry, according to the Chilean nonprofit Ecoceanos.

Locals and scientists argue that the accumulation of organic matter and the use of chemicals from these farms have severely depleted oxygen levels on the seabed, creating areas where life struggles to survive.

The salmon industry, represented by the trade association SalmonChile, contends that the decline in fish stocks is not solely attributable to farming practices. They cite factors such as climate change, changing water temperatures, illegal fishing, and overexploitation as contributing elements.

Despite economic arguments supporting the industry due to job creation, communities like those in Melinka are advocating for the protection of their marine territories. Daniel Arturo Caniullan Huentel, a diver and ancestral authority of the Indigenous Mapuche Pu Wapi community, has observed the degradation firsthand.

"The seabed was teeming with life, with colors and animals everywhere. Today it is completely different,” Caniullan Huentel said. “The colors have faded, many species have disappeared and organisms that did not exist before have appeared. Every time a new salmon-farming facility was installed, we saw the impacts increase.”

To combat this, the Mapuche community is utilizing Ley Lafkenche, a law passed in 2008 that empowers Indigenous communities to protect and co-manage marine and coastal areas with state institutions if they can demonstrate ancestral practices. This law allows for the protection of traditional uses like fishing and gathering, and prevents the authorization of new concessions, such as salmon farms, within designated areas.

Caniullan Huentel's community has had partial success with their applications, with one covering 8,000 hectares approved in 2013. However, subsequent larger applications in 2017 and 2024 were rejected by the state. The community recently submitted another application for a smaller area of 3,000 hectares and is awaiting a decision.

"This struggle is not just about us,” Caniullan Huentel emphasized. “It is about the future of the sea, small-scale fishing and generations to come. If we do not defend these territories today, tomorrow we risk permanently losing an immense natural and cultural heritage.”