Chile’s Salmon Farmers to Fight Indigenous Reserve in Patagonia Sea

Salmon farmers are fighting an indigenous community’s bid to close off a large area of sea in Chilean Patagonia so the community can reserve the water and coastal areas for traditional activities.

The Kawesqar indigenous community has claimed a wide expanse of Chile’s southernmost Magallanes Region as an indigenous coastal area under a law known as the Lafkenche Law, from a native Mapudungun word meaning People of the Sea.

Declaring an area an Indigenous Coastal Zone can be a drawn-out affair taking up to five years, but while the application is studied, applications to carry out other ...