At the event, held at the Queilen Fishing Pier, President Boric signed the legislation containing a particular regulation for the sector.
With the presence of the President of the Republic Gabriel Boric Fontin addition to the Minister(s) of Economy, Javiera Petersenand the Undersecretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture, July Salasrecently signed in Queilen commune, Chiloé province, Los Lagos region, the promulgation of the so-called Bentley Law, which was approved at the beginning of the month and unanimously by the Senate Chamber, getting ready for your office.
This legislation defines concepts specific to benthic activity, such as: "sweeping" -which consists of the use of chuzos or sweeps with which the seabed is hit, causing serious impacts on the substrate and modifying the bottoms by generating deserts under the sea-, and for the first time the assistant of divers is recognized as part of a unit of extraction, always taking care of the sustainability and well-being of the sea families.
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"Many of the so-called benthic resources - the octopus, the runaway, the hedgehogs, the clams... they are tremendously enjoyed by us, but also desired in other countries in the world where they are not, as in China, Japan, Spain, the United States. And that's why celebration of having a law that recognizes them, which recognizes the particularities of benthic extraction and contributes to ensuring that this activity is sustainable for the future," President Boric emphasized.
Then, the mandate holder said that "we are paying off a debt to the craft world (...) and the work and momentum of organizations such as the Bentonic Table of the Lakes Region. Because for the project to come to a successful conclusion, the social leaders became part of this law, the union leaders played a fundamental role in the drafting of this law. We couldn't be (here) if this law would not have been built together with those who are the main actors of the system," he said.
For its part, the helm of the Undersecretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subsecretariat), Julio Salas, said that thanks to this law "divers, assistants of divers, benthic shipowners, owners of management areas and shore collectors, all are beneficiaries of the norms when the recognition of its work in a statute dedicated to them."
The benthic fishing activity, in fact, landed on 530 thousand tons in 202282% of this seaweed landing, 8.1% molluscs and 7.1% other species (such as hedgehog and piure, mainly).
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The meeting was also attended by the mayor of Queilen, Marcos Vargas; the presidential delegates, Giovanna Moreira and Marcelo Malagueño; congressmen; representatives of guilds and trade unions of the artisanal fishing area; as well as leaders and organizations of benthic fishermen, among others.
*Images: courtesy of Subpesca.
