Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture Eduardo Riquelme making a speech at AquaSur fair, in Puerto Montt. (Photo: SUBPESCA)
Govt plans to send aquaculture act to Congress in 2019
CHILE
Thursday, October 18, 2018, 21:40 (GMT + 9)
Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture Eduardo Riquelme stated that the Government plans to send an act focusing on aquaculture activity next year to Congress.
"We are working on a big challenge that is to endow our country with an aquaculture act, and we believe that there is a need for an act that recognizes the potential of the sector and addresses the challenges of the future in that area," the undersecretary announced on inaugurating the tenth version of the international fair AquaSur, in Puerto Montt.
Small-scale aquaculture and oceanic aquaculture are among the subjects that the corresponding bill would address, Riquelme explained.
In the speech that marked the official opening of AquaSur, the undersecretary highlighted the importance for Chile of salmon production: "It is the largest industry of Chilean aquaculture and one of the main export products of our country."
He also stressed the good time that salmon farming is going through in the country: "We have good health and economic results, which confirms that the changes generated in the first administration of President Sebastián Piñera were on the right track to be permanently evaluating the legislation to be adjusted in order to set a long-term sustainable growth that brings economic and social well-being to the communities depending on this activity".
The undersecretary added that they are betting on a long-term, sustainable and friendly industry. "We do not want the good price of salmon to imply disproportionate growth, which could have negative consequences," he said.
After the traditional ribbon cutting and a tour of the exhibition, Riquelme held bilateral meetings with his peers and other representatives in fisheries or aquaculture in Scotland, Canada, South Africa and Norway. In these meetings, the undersecretary and his counterparts addressed topics of mutual interest, as well as formulas to deepen ties of cooperation between Chile and those nations.
AquaSur fair is one of the largest meetings of its kind on a global level. This meeting will last until October 20 and is expected to involve some 20,000 people from various countries.
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