- Irreversible Environmental Impact: escaped farmed salmon, marine waste, pollution generated by the industry and overuse of antibiotics and chemicals are the cause of extinction of other species, creating “dead zones” in the sea. Up to now, none of the farming locations chosen by the industry have been able to recover.
- Social and Community Impact: the establishment of salmon farms jeopardizes species such as the spider-crab and the false king crab, on which the coastal communities of Almanza depend.
- Tourism Impact: this activity generates the highest incomes for the province. Both activities cannot coexist.
- Health and food security Impact: Intensive salmon farming generates overcrowded conditions that lead to the spread of infections and diseases. In addition, antibiotics are used to increase production rates, which generates bacterial resistance: one of the greatest threats to global health.We generated the necessary legal tools to investigate the agreements signed with Norway and be able to work towards the prohibition of salmon farming throughout the province.
The first step was to collaborate with a municipal ordinance, approved by the majority in Ushuaia, that prohibited the installation of any infrastructure related to salmon farming in the city. In May 2019, provincial legislators introduced a bill in the provincial legislature to ban salmon farming.