The Constitutional Court dismissed the two requirements presented by parliamentarians seeking to declare unconstitutional the amendment to the Law on Fisheries and Aquaculture (LPGA).
Following this ruling, the bill is ready to be enacted, said the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca).
One of the requirements, referring to the need of a consultation to aboriginal people based on Convention 169, got a unanimous unfavourable vote.
The second, which is related to the system of administration of industrial fishing, received five votes in favour and three against it.
Undersecretary of Fisheries, Pablo Galilea, welcomed the Court’s ruling.
Galilea highlighted the work Subpesca carried out during more than three years in order to develop a bill that would ensure the sustainability of Chilean fishery resources.
“We are pleased with the decision of the Constitutional Court, it reaffirms the matter we have raised through serious and responsible work involving all stakeholders in the fishery,” he said.
“This will allow us to have a very good law for fishing in Chile in the coming months,” he added.
“The core of the new regulation is the sustainability of fisheries resources. The proposal incorporates the concept of maximum sustainable yield (MSY), international standard to which fisheries should be brought to or kept. This allows for greater catches without risking the availability of resources in the medium and long term,” continued the Undersecretary of Fisheries.
When the new law takes effect, the artisanal sector will have 55 per cent of the national landings, while the industrial sector will reduce its stake to 45 per cent of the total value.
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