Patagonia, Chile — The pressure is mounting on Chilean President Sebastián Piñera’s administration to protect one of the most beautiful and biodiverse regions of the world, the Patagonian Sea.

Late last week, Chile’s Kawésquar Indigenous community won a long-fought legal battle against the salmon farming industry, which has already spread pollution in other regions of Chile and plans to expand in Patagonia. The decision came on the heels of Greenpeace Chile actions calling out the industry’s damage to marine ecosystems.

Estefanía González, oceans campaign coordinator for Greenpeace Chile, said:

“The Patagonian Sea is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on the planet, attracting thousands of visitors each year. None of them come here to see an ocean marred by industrial salmon farming cages and their associated pollution. The Kawésquar’s ‘David and Goliath’ victory this week is a major step forward, and should be a sign to Chile’s leaders that it is time to permanently stop the advance of the salmon industry in Chilean Patagonia.”

Last week, activists on board the Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise ship deployed a four-metre-tall inflatable resembling a map location pin with the message “Mar en peligro” (“Sea in danger”) in the Skyring Sound — an area home to numerous threatened species — and generated light-painted images of some of Patagonia’s most iconic wildlife.

The Patagonian Sea is home to whales, dolphins, otters, seals and other rare animals, all of which are threatened by pollution stemming from industrial salmon farming.

Chile is the world’s second-largest producer of salmon, more than 80% of which is for export. But as the country’s salmon farming industry has grown, so has the damage to the pristine Patagonian Sea. Protecting this region would help avoid a repeat of disasters like the 2016 red tide crisis in Chiloé, in which industrial salmon farmers dumped more than 9,000 tonnes of rotting salmon into the ocean, contributing to the death of thousands of marine animals.

The Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise is currently wrapping up a two-week journey through Chilean Patagonia to document the wildlife of the region, conduct research on biodiversity and expose pollution and destruction tied to the industrial salmon farming industry.  

ENDS

Photo and video:

For photos of wildlife and Greenpeace actions in Chilean Patagonia, visit here: https://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJXFVDIV

Media contacts:

Rodrigo Barría, Communications Coordinator, Greenpeace Chile: +56 98 209 2026, [email protected] (Spanish and English)

Greenpeace International Press Desk: +31 20 718 2470, [email protected] (available 24 hours)