Tierra del Fuego Governor Gustavo Melella signing the new aquaculture law in the Argentine province.
Photo: Government of Tierra del Fuego.
Located in the Patagonian region, in the southernmost tip of Argentina, the province of Tierra del Fuego announced a new law for the comprehensive and sustainable development of its aquaculture industry, which will allow salmon farming to return to its territory after four years of prohibition.
The new Aquaculture Law for Tierra del Fuego—Law No. 1601, Salmonid Farming and Production: Prohibition in Lake and Marine Waters of the Province: Amendment—was enacted on December 19 by Governor Gustavo Melella.
In its announcement of the new regulation coming into force, the Government of Tierra del Fuego stated that it "represents a milestone in expanding the productive matrix through a strategic activity that will generate skilled local employment, under the highest environmental control standards."
According to its proponents, the premise of this new law is to promote the sustainable development of aquaculture, prioritizing an environmental, social, and economic approach, with an emphasis on caring for the environment.
Among its highlights are the promotion of innovation and productive diversification, encouraging the cultivation of native or naturalized species, and the incorporation of low environmental impact technologies, such as Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), which guarantee water efficiency and minimize effluents.
Likewise, the new law also establishes scientific and institutional strengthening by creating the Center for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (C.D.P. y A.), which will function as a hub for applied research, innovation, and technology transfer.
"The regulation aims to make Tierra del Fuego a benchmark in sustainable aquaculture that is in balance with the environment, society, and the local economy, ensuring that any expansion of the sector is carried out in a harmonious and regulated manner," the regional government said in its statement.
"We have taken a fundamental step toward a productive future for our province," Governor Gustavo Melella stated via his X account.
"This decision allows us to expand our productive matrix, consolidating aquaculture as a strategic activity to attract new investments and, above all, to generate more genuine jobs in Tierra del Fuego," he added.
As mentioned above, the enactment of the new law comes just four years after salmon farming was completely banned in the same province through provincial Law No. 1355, which was unanimously approved at the time and is now being amended.
However, despite Governor Melella's endorsement, as highlighted by local media outlet Infobae, the new law was approved, but only by the narrowest of margins. With eight votes in favor and seven against, one of the legislators, Pablo Villegas of the Movimiento Popular Fueguino (MPF), even went so far as to describe it as "unconstitutional," without ruling out the possibility of judicial review.
According to Infobae, Villegas harshly criticized the approval of the law. "I reiterate my absolute rejection of the approval of this law that allows Chilean-style salmon farms in our province. It was not just a matter of voting yes or no to salmon farms, but of defining what kind of state and what model of development we want for ourselves and for future generations," he said.
Located, as mentioned above, in the Patagonian region at the southern tip of Argentina, the province of Tierra del Fuego shares a border and waters with the Chilean region of Magallanes, which, together with Aysén and Los Lagos, is one of the three main areas of farmed salmon production in Chile.
When the previous law banned salmon farming throughout the province, one of the points of debate—and complaint by opponents of salmon farming—was precisely that: how effective can the ban be on the Argentine side if the activity continues on the Chilean side in waters with a shared ecosystem?
Now, the Government of Tierra del Fuego emphasized that, as originally established by Law No. 1355, the new law maintains and reaffirms the prohibition of industrial salmon farming in the Beagle Channel as a fundamental pillar.
At the southern tip of South America, this strait partially connects the waters of the Pacific Ocean with those of the Atlantic Ocean. Administratively, its coasts belong to both the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands on the Argentine side, and the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region on the Chilean side.
Likewise, in the announcement of the new law, the Tierra del Fuego Government also highlighted that it incorporates reinforced control instruments, including prior Strategic Environmental Assessment for territorial planning and the delimitation of suitable areas, the mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment, and the submission of a Project Notice Guide for each project.
In addition, it also incorporates priority protection of water resources, maintaining unchanged their use for human consumption, as well as citizen participation in environmental planning and control processes, ensuring transparency and access to information.
"The new law will position Tierra del Fuego as a competitive aquaculture hub, prioritizing production for domestic consumption and strengthening provincial food sovereignty," the release concluded.
Thus, in Article 11, the new Law No. 1601 establishes that a percentage—yet to be determined—of the total production of aquaculture projects to be developed in the province will be reserved for local consumption.
It also stipulates that the Executive Branch must create programs and incentives "with the aim of encouraging local producers to undertake aquaculture developments in the province."