About 1,000 Chilean small-scale fishermen marched into the capital of Santiago on Wednesday to protest a planned law they say would endanger their livelihood by setting quotas.
The fishermen launched the march at a port near the city of Concepcion in the Bio Bio region on Monday morning and arrived in downtown Santiago on Wednesday afternoon. They waved Chilean flags and delivered a petition to the presidential palace, demanding that the legislation be dropped.
The small-scale fishermen for months have protested a proposed law that would establish fishing quotas. They say the legislation would put their main source of income at risk by giving preferential treatment to big fishing companies. The legislation to be debated in the Senate on Nov. 19 would also make the use of GPS devices mandatory.
“We should have the same rights as the industry, which has been freely given the rights to the sea and to fishing,” Rosendo Arroyo, president of the Artisanal Fisheries Group of Bio Bio told state TV.
“At the same time, they’re forcing us to adopt restrictive measures, get GPS equipment, licenses for small boats, which increase the costs of artisanal fishing. That’s why we’re here showing our repudiation of this law.”
The Wednesday afternoon march was peaceful, but earlier protests have turned violent at times with riot police clashing with the fishermen in Chile’s ports.
Chile enjoys more than 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres) of coastline and fishing is among its top industries.
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