May 12, 2011

 

Magallanes' aquaculture concessions to rise in two years

 

The government of Magallanes foresees a rise in aquaculture active concessions by more than 15 times, jumping from 13 to 200.

 

Therefore, it has been proposed to the Undersecretariat of Fisheries (Subpesca) the introduction of changes in Suitable Areas for Aquaculture (AAA) in order to turn this Chilean region into a salmon farming production centre nationwide.

 

It is estimated that each concession should produce about 1,000 tonnes on average per year.

 

For Subpesca Head, Pablo Galilea, one of the important steps was to exclude popular tourist areas from the AAA.

 

Out of the 149 areas that operate in Magallanes, 45 had been separated, representing a decrease of 30.2%.

 

Meanwhile, in terms of hectares, out of the 441,998 authorised ones, 113,779 hectares had been separated, symbolising 25.7% less, according to the media.

 

Currently, the secretariat drafted a resolution proposing these new areas and an observation period of 15 days.

 

As soon as the legal deadlines are met, Subpesca will forward the proposal to the Secretariat of the Armed Forces to publish the final decree accordingly.

 

The salmon industry was pleased with the actions of a competitive drive plan that the Ministry of Economy would launch to streamline the return processes of the aquaculture concessions, among other issues.

 

One of the measures has been designed to improve the current system, to offer greater flexibility to switch from one harvest to another and to transfer the rights to concessions, among other issues.

 

Sources close to the Association of Salmon Industry A.G. reported, "The aquaculture concessions may take up to 10 years to be granted, making processes for investment rather uncertain for companies. These changes would help the sector continue in the process of growth that has been experienced so far."

 

There is also another proposal to provide multi concessions.