This protest was carried out in Quellon, to the south of the country, a city which is suffering high levels of unemployment. The demonstrators aimed against the lack of action by the public organizations responsible for the control of the salmon companies.

On Friday, the authorities received a delegation of demonstrators and committed to design employment plans, grant soft loans and a exert greater control on vessels. Despite the fact that there are no guarantees these promises will be fulfilled, the claims were succesful.

During the mobilization, the population from Quellon had warned that if the situation continues 33,000 workers would be left without job, because they depend entirely on the extraction of sea products, according to the news site Ecoceanos News which is carrying out a wide coverage of the issue.

Last week´s street protest was repressed by the anti-riot police, although the presence of approximately 1,000 people made it possible for the blockade of routes to continue.

According to the local organizations, the transfer of live fish from Aysen to Chiloe has caused red tide in the area, and that is why they are accusing the government authorities and the companies, most of them European, of “bioterrorism”.

This has to be added to the spreading of the ISA virus in many salmon farms, especially with effects on the health of workers, and the massive layoffs carried out by the companies of the sector.

An article from the local newspaper Cronica Libre estimates that there are 10 thousand people who have been left without a job in this area of the country due to the closing of salmon companies, who argue they have withdrawn investments due to the international financial crisis.

In spite that in terms of controls the absence of the government is more than benefitial for the salmon companies, they do find the authorities necessary when the figures are not so good. Salmon Chile, which gathers the main companies of the sector, has been negotiating with the Ministry of Economy, the Bank Association and Financial Institutions, a millionaire bail-out plan, which allegedly aims at mitigating the impacts of the crisis.