Protests continue to pack the streets in Chile, triggered by a relatively small increase in subway fares in mid-October. During the unrest, salmon production has dropped substantially due to blockades and curfews that prevent people and supplies reaching production sites. SalmonExpert Chile reports how protesters continue to block access routes to Quellón, a hub for aquaculture and fisheries in southern Chile. Trucks transporting supplies like feed have been denied access to farms jeopardising the lives of 800 thousand fish that have not been fed for more than a week. Thirty thousand salmon are already reported dead and without the possibility of dealing with these mortalities, health risks due to high bacteriological levels will only aggravate the situation. A spokeswoman for the National Coordinator of the Salmon Industry and Related Branches stresses that these mortalities will cause immense pollution in the Quellón Bay, forcing companies in the area to move their fish to other sites and threatening the future of labour for the seafood industry in Quellón. Estimates say that production capacity is down about 50% and prices for salmon have increase at least 22%.
