Special report
The Kawésqar National Park extends over 2.8 million hectares, making it the second-largest park in Chile. However, the coastal areas in the park are considered a national reserve, a category that has less protection than a park. The reserve is home to 67 salmon-farming concessions, with an additional 80 concession requests currently pending, National Geographic reported.
National Geographic Pristine Seas director for Latin America Alex Muñoz, in a release, said the reserve is “a place with extraordinary and unique ecosystems” that is already being impacted by salmon farms.
“I hope that the new government issues a ban on this harmful activity inside this protected area of enormous ecological and cultural value,” he said.
Chilean President Boric has questioned the environmental sustainability of the country’s salmon farming industry. He is now reportedly considering a moratorium on the farmed salmon sector that would halt its expansion in the country.
“There can be no salmon-farming industry in marine protected areas,” he said. “That’s as simple as … enforcing the law.”
as marine conservation initiative. In March, it kicked off a scientific expedition to study Colombian seas to support the government’s plan to create new marine protected areas that will cover a total 30 percent of Colombia’s exclusive economic zone. It will also produce a documentary to showcase the diversity of Colombia’s marine ecosystems.
Pristine Seas claims to have helped inspire the creation of 26 marine reserves worldwide, covering an area totaling more than 6.5 million square kilometres.
Kawésqar National Park
When will politicians see fish farming as an undesirable industry? it requires a large amount of capital, is a high risk venture because of disease, is a poor quality product and as an industry is not a money earner for NZ. Instead get the NZ sea fishing industry organised so the shopper gets fish at a reasonable price.
When blue cod sells for $63 a kilo and snapper over $50 a kilo, government is failing.
The NZ sea fish industry is corrupt (think of political party donations) and the ministry is hamstrung by governments favouring the commercial fishing corporates. That is not forgetting the ministry needs a shakeup too.
In NZ we have a unique set of difficulties if our similar salmon farming was deemed to be marine detrimentally to the environment & needing intervention.
The entire coastline is in the process of ownership being transferred to tribal iwi & soon be out of any NZ scientific authority & completely at the mercy of Tikanga moedi & matauranga maori scientific knowledge, of which there is precisely NIl, although the tribes would bleat endlessly otherwise, putting a possible disastrous handbrake on any real urgent remedies, no doubt costing the tax payer millions in compliance, set by the new ruling class, and fiddling while Rome burns. John Key Helen Clark & now quite prominently Jacinderella are the authors of this time bomb. Moedis just sit back & rejoice as another endless stream of cash falls in their lap.