Aysen Fiord. (Map: Keysanger/CC BY-SA 3.0)

Salmones Antartica questions aquaculture concession restrictions

Executives from the firm Salmones Antartica, controlled by Grupo Nissui, argue that the implementation of the new act that limits the possibility of dividing and relocating fractions of the aquaculture concessions in the Aysen Fjord and in the town of Chaitén in Los Lagos Region would breach the non-discrimination policy "enshrined in the rules regarding foreign investment."

The Farming Manager of Salmones Antartica, Claudio Lara, voiced that there is concern in the Japanese group about the recent approval of the amendment of Act No. 20434 by Congress because it involves an "unexplained change to the rules of the game".

The entrepreneur explained that Salmones Antartica has nine concessions in Aysen Fjord, of which the oldest ones have large surfaces: one has 124 hectares and the other one has 150 hectares.

Lara told the newspaper Estrategia that while the new act sets that it is possible to relocate fractions and divide an operation into two, "the question is: Where can a 150 hectare concession with an approved technical project to hold a maximum of 27,000 tonnes be installed, maintaining the same surface even when two fractions are divided?"

He added that despite the fact that the company annually produces more than 30,000 tonnes, "the real estate business is still being given benefits over the main goal of the concession, that is to say production".

The manager of Salmones Antartica recalled that this salmon company was originated out of a "foreign investment contract with the State of Chile", and stated that they are evaluating "all the tools" available to safeguard their rights.

"In this sense, it is being reviewed particularly if the recent amendment to the Act has discriminatory features," explained Lara.

The entrepreneur said that the steps to follow must be analyzed carefully, either from an administrative or judicial viewpoint, and he stressed that it is a complex issue because "it arises from a bill that has been discussed in parliament but it could undermine the non-discrimination policy enshrined in the rules regarding foreign investment."

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By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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