Chile’s salmon-producing industry is currently the world’s second-largest, just behind Norway. It’s increasingly coming under fire thanks to alarming accounts of abusive labor practices, environmental destruction, and overuse of antibiotics. Chile’s aquacultural industry is considered one of the nation’s key exports. From 1990 to 2017, it saw the highest inflation adjusted annual growth rate anywhere in the country at almost 3,000%. With such rapid expansion comes serious sustainability and ethical concerns.
The impacts of salmon farming in Chile have overwhelmingly been negative. It has come at great human and environmental expense. In 2024, the country is projected to consume more than 351 tonnes of antibiotics on its farms. This was a shocking contrast to Norway which had reported near-zero antibiotic use for that same year. Critics have long warned that our overuse of antibiotics has resulted in a growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. This wreaks havoc on marine life as well as human health.
These recent tragedies have drawn public attention to the dangerous working conditions that salmon industry workers face. Arturo Vera, a 59-year-old scallop diver, drowned after a gruesome accident. Her brother Theebo was killed in 2018 when a boat’s propeller hit him while he worked at a salmon farm. The alarming statistic reveals that between March 2013 and July 2025, 83 workers have died in accidents across the sector. In December 2022, Jorge Ampuero González, the chief provincial Labour Inspectorate in Puerto Natales, expressed his adamant opposition to this kind of intervention. He doesn’t have the personnel or equipment to do smart inspections.
“Realistically, we can visit each centre once a year, at most twice. However much we want to, it is really difficult to change things with these tools,” – Jorge Ampuero González
The heavy environmental toll exacted by salmon farming has fueled the opposition among local communities. Reports indicate that parts of the Chesque River have turned reddish and slimy due to pollution linked to salmon farms. The Mapuche community had previously sued Sociedad Comercial Agrícola y Forestal Nalcahue in domestic courts. They are pushing back against PFAS contamination covering their community.
Direct testimony from local residents has documented the dramatic non-native ecological transformations to their environment since the salmon farms were established. Angelica Urrutia, a member of the Mapuche community, noted that since the establishment of the salmon company, wildlife has drastically diminished.
“The fish in the river have disappeared, as has the rest of the wildlife, especially the birds. When they were forced to stop in 2021 because of our complaint, the fish and other animals returned,” – Angelica Urrutia
This environmental harm has had cascading impacts on local communities that depend on these resources for their livelihoods. Traditional practices Julia Cárcamo López expressed alarm over the effects on ancestral practices.
“I can no longer gather the medicinal herbs that grow around the river,” – Julia Cárcamo López
The human health consequences of pollution from salmon farms are vividly depicted by Urrutia’s story about her introduced livestock. Six head of cattle died after drinking water contaminated by the company’s outfall drain in 2005. A veterinarian who treated the animals determined they had consumed formalin, a carcinogenic substance often used in salmon farming.
“And the company has contaminated several areas of the river that my community has always used for our ancestral ceremonies. When the company had to stop, we were able to perform our sacred ceremonies in the river again. It was beautiful,” – Julia Cárcamo López
These recent developments contribute to an increasingly disturbing picture of Chile’s salmon industry. Unsustainable labor practices, environmental destruction, and public health threats all create urgent concerns. We need to look at how sustainably and ethically this industry works.
The need for reform is urgent. Participants like Jorge Ampuero González highlighted sustainability as a key issue. He feels like it needs to be about more than how many pounds you’re producing—it’s how we’re producing them.
“There is a lack of understanding that the sustainability of the industry does not depend only on how much salmon we produce, but on the conditions in which we produce it,” – Jorge Ampuero González
With aspirations as lofty as local communities fighting for accountability and better practices to prevail within the salmon farming sector. The burdens they labor under are only made worse by a systemic absence of oversight and inadequate regulatory structures.
One producer operating an ecological farm in Chilean Patagonia said the high human cost of salmon production makes it hard to celebrate.
“Those who eat Chilean salmon cannot imagine how much human blood it carries with it,” – source working on a farm in Chilean Patagonia
Consumer demand for more ethically sourced goods and services is increasing. How this change in demand will affect practices in Chile’s salmon industry going forward remains to be seen. Stakeholders from the public, private, and non-profit sectors should work together to aim for these urgent priorities.