Protesters tried to break through the gates of Congress before police replied with tear gas, water cannons, and riot gear. At least one officer was wounded, and several protesters were arrested as authorities sought to bring the violence under control.
During the day, hundreds of thousands of artisanal fishermen marched to Congress, with slogans that said, “The Sea is Not for Sale.” Small-scale fishermen, outraged by the proposed law, say amendments adopted in the Senate benefit giant industrial fishing firms at their expense.
Union organizer Hugo Poblete, outside Congress, said the lower house originally provided artisanal fishers with a 70% quota of hake and a 90% quota of cuttlefish both of which are the most important species to small-scale fishermen. Those numbers were cut in the Senate, and there were concerns that the industrial fleets would have the edge.
After heated discussion, the Senate finance committee decided to postpone voting, adding more heat to tensions. Fights broke out when police resorted to using force to disperse demonstrators, while other protesters retaliated before they could be brought under control.
Sonapesca, Chile’s organization for big industrial fishing companies, had not immediately made a comment on the events.
With more legislative obstacles to come, artisanal fishers promised to keep pushing for equitable quotas. Susana Olea, an artisanal fisher from Lebu who has been fishing for decades, warned that it’s livelihoods at risk. “It’s not only fishers whole communities rely on the sea,” she said, urging the cuttlefish to be kept entirely for small-scale fishers to safeguard their way of life.
