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Original article: Comunidad Kawésqar acusa que industria salmonera usa áreas protegidas de Magallanes como «refugio productivo»

KAWÉSQAR COMMUNITY CHARGES SALMON FARMING INDUSTRY WITH DISINFO CAMPAIGN IN MAGALLANES

They accuse the industry of downplaying documented environmental damage and distorting the impact of protected areas, which in practice host dozens of active concessions.

The Indigenous Kawésqar Community of Nomadic Sea Families has raised serious concerns regarding a disinformation campaign from the salmon farming sector in Magallanes, rejecting the notion that significant ecological damage in their waters is merely a «myth.» They point out that, rather than being a hindrance, the Kawésqar National Reserve hosts 60 active concessions, where production has surged at an annual rate of 29.9%, effectively using the protected area as a productive refuge.

The community finds the industry’s narrative offensive, portraying protective measures as obstacles, while they argue the real threat is a model that prioritizes private profit over an uncontaminated environment. They demand the immediate removal of concessions from protected areas to ensure the survival of life in the fjords.

For a complete overview of their complaints and arguments, read the full article here.

The Industry of «Myths»: Unveiling the Reality Behind Salmon Farming Disinformation

As the Kawésqar Indigenous community, we feel ethically obligated to denounce the disinformation campaign launched by the Magallanes Salmon Farmers Association. In their attempts to legitimize what they call a «sustainable environmental condition,» the industry relies on figures regarding «aerobic centers» to dispel what they term «myths» about environmental damage. However, for those of us who traverse and protect these waters, the damage is not a myth: eutrophication, chemical contamination, degradation of marine beds, and industrial waste are real scars documented by science and our observations.

It is both offensive and misleading to classify the Kawésqar Última Esperanza Marine Protected Area and the Management Plan for the Kawésqar National Reserve as «obstacles» to production. The industry claims that the limited number of concessions hampers site rotation, but the reality of our maritime territory tells a very different story. Currently, the Kawésqar National Reserve has 66 concessions granted, of which 60 have been operating actively. Far from being an area shielded from industrial activities, channels like Seno Taraba, Poca Esperanza, Seno Skairyng, Desolacion, and the Golfo Almirante Montt are «infested» with salmon farms, showcasing that official protection has not prevented the massive occupation of our living space.

The growth figures for the industry in Magallanes are alarming: production in the region skyrocketed from just 3,200 tons in 2001 to 130,100 tons in 2023. This surge is neither random nor balanced; harvests within protected areas have increased at an annual rate of 29.9%, significantly outpacing the industry outside these spaces. It is clear that salmon farms have used our conservation areas as «productive refuges» to mitigate their own external crises, at the cost of the fragility of our ecosystems.

The industry clamors for «regulatory certainty» while operating in national parks and reserves where industrial exploitation should be restricted. The message they convey about the Kawésqar Reserve is negative and distorted; these protective figures are far from being a threat to the territory; the real threat is a model that prioritizes conservation rents and private profit over the constitutional right to live in an uncontaminated environment, along with a state that fails to respect conventions like ILO Convention 169.

We will not allow the reality to be further obscured. The removal of concessions from protected areas is not an option but an urgent necessity to ensure that life in the fjords prevails over the interests of a sector that refuses to acknowledge its impact.

Kawésqar Indigenous Community of Nomadic Sea Families

La entrada Kawésqar Community Accuses Salmon Farming Industry of Exploiting Protected Areas in Magallanes as «Productive Refuge» se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.