What was inevitable finally happened: in Tierra del Fuego (TDF) the law was changed in 1355. In 2021, TDF has strictly banned the production of the most sustainable and advanced animal protein in the world: salmon farming. And he did it, paradoxically, by relying on some of them The best environmental conditions on the planet to develop it.
As I have emphasized countless times, The Beagle Channel is far from being part of this discussion. It is a true treasure of biodiversity that needs to be preservedor at most limited to artisanal fishing and aquaculture. I had the opportunity to be there more than once, navigate the waters and make all kinds of measurements. The conclusion is obvious: the inclusion of the Beagle in this debate was a serious conceptual error, a poor definition that ultimately led to a rift that I have already written about at length.
Not long ago, a group of protesters and NGOs called for a change in the law by unusually offering a banquet of molluscs, crustaceans and fish from the Beagle Channel. In extremist terms, they were “in front of the ecosystem” they were protesting against An activity that is precisely the only one capable of reducing mass robbery and destruction that we produce in the oceans today.
I’m not saying it: I said it Jacques Cousteauprobably the greatest defender of the seas of the 20th century: “We must stop acting as hunters in the oceans and become farmers; that is what civilization is all about.”.
I’m not against fishing. But it is an exercise without boundaries or control. According to a WWF report Over the last 40 years, sea life has declined by half due to overfishing.a true “marine genocide”. The impacts are equivalent (or worse) than deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. It is therefore striking that the flag of extractive fishing is raised against salmon farming and that wild animals are caught in their natural habitat.
In the meantime, TDF today has a poverty rate of 26% (INDEC, 2025). The neighboring Magallanes region in Chile only records 3.5% (INE). more than 7,000 direct jobs related to the salmon industry and nearly 70,000 nationwide. In our case, modestly in the Piedra del Águila reservoir We directly employ 560 people in a city with almost 4,000 inhabitants.
Even so, Some activists claim salmon farming ‘doesn’t create jobs’. With this level of denial the dialogue becomes complex. Another unpleasant fact: Chile already produces about 30% of its salmon that is certified antibiotic-free. If antibiotics were the central problem, then we should stop eating chickens, pigs and cows, which also use them. Produce more exposed environments with intense currents and excellent water quality healthier and more resilient fish that do not require medication. Exactly that Conditions offered by the open sea of TDF.
Today the province finally gave in a strategic step towards your future. The areas made available for production require investors with a very high level of technology and capital. Only Proven offshore systems or cages for high energy environments They will be viable. Norwegians know a lot about this and it wouldn’t be surprising if they were the first to be interested in it: The environmental conditions are optimal.
Last August I had the opportunity to attend the AquaNor trade fair in Trondheim, Norway. There I heard first-hand that several mega offshore investments are currently on hold, awaiting tax definitions that Norwegian producers are unwilling to accept. Wouldn’t this be an opportunity for these investments (in some cases already built and ready to be installed) to find a destination in TDF?
Now a central process of the legal system begins: Define areas suitable for aquaculture, conduct specific oceanographic studies that establish the minimum baselines for environmental and productive sustainability, and adopt proven technical frameworks such as the Norwegian standard NS 9415.
Then clear maritime concessions, defined deadlines, sensible rules and strict environmental controls. I’ve done all this, TDF can become an important player in the global scenario of salmonid productionwhich makes a real leap into the much mentioned Diversification of the production matrixwith an activity closely linked to natural resources.
I hope we continue to make washing machines and televisions. But to be honest, The producing salmonids appear to be much more connected to the area.
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