June 10, 2022

Charges brought against salmon farmers in Chile for alleged overproduction

Chile's Superintendency of the Environment (SMA) is bringing charges against salmon farmers claiming they overproduced at production centers located within the Kawésqar National Reserve in the southern region of Magallanes.

If found guilty, the farmers risk revocation of their environmental permit, closure of operations, or fines of an amount equivalent to up to $3.3 billion (US$4 million).

The alleged infractions took place in a sensitive area, as developments at the Kawésqar National Reserve have been at the center of attention. Last month, National Geographic released a documentary advocating for the protection of the reserve's coastline from further commercial salmon-farming development.

The SMA's most recent charge was against Cermaq Chile, which it said overproduced more than 782 tonnes per year between May 2017 and June 2019 at the Estero Navarro salmonid grow-out center, located in the reserve. The corresponding environmental permit authorises a maximum production of 5,236 tonnes at the center – which covers an area of 12 hectares.

"The complaints that the SMA receives are not only from citizens, but also from public services with environmental authority," said acting SMA head Emanuel Ibarra. "In this case, [Chile's National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service] Sernapesca Magallanes sent us information regarding the 2017-2019 production cycle.

"The problem with these situations is that they were verified in areas that are under special protection, such as the case of the Kawésqar National Reserve."

Cermaq will now have 10 working days to present a compliance program and 15 working days to formulate any disclaimers. In a public statement, Cermaq Chile said that it is carrying out an investigation and internally validating the published data "to proceed as appropriate, in accordance with the applicable regulations."

Last month, SMA also initiated a sanctioning process against salmon farmer Australis Mar for overproduction at the Morgan salmonid grow-out center, also located in the Kawésqar National Reserve.

Australis admitted that it had overproduced during its 2019-2021 cycle. In response, it said it would lower production by a total of 1,816 tonnes in its next production cycles.

- SeafoodSource