Chile is in the process of drafting a new fisheries law after President Gabriel Boric’s government presented a bill proposing the law for legislative consideration at the end of 2023. The proposed law primarily aims to restore confidence in regulations governing the fishing industry, as the current fisheries law was passed against the backdrop of one of the biggest political corruption scandals in the country’s history. The new law should be “based on ethical standards that do not call its legitimacy into question,” the undersecretariat of fisheries stated on its website. However, debate over the new bill has been rumbling on in Congress since January, and there are signs that, once again, the private sector’s possible influence on congressional discussion should be closely monitored. An investigation released by the Santiago-based Center for Journalistic Investigation (CIPER) in June revealed that 76% of the legislative recommendations made by three congressmen, more than 200 recommendations in all, were taken from a report by Chile’s National Fishing Society (SONAPESCA), the fishing industry’s umbrella organization. The congressmen are Sergio Bobadilla, Cristhian Moreira and Bernardo Berger from the right-wing Independent Democratic Union and National Renewal party. Congressmen Sergio Bobadilla, left, Cristhian Moreira, center, and Bernardo Berger, right. Images courtesy of cnn.cl. To learn about the environmental implications of the congressmen’s proposals, Mongabay Latam spoke with scientists, fisheries experts and representatives of environmental organizations. Of all the recommendations, one was particularly concerning to the experts: The removal of the new bill’s Article 19, which proposes to curb…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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