The government of José Antonio Kast is facing scrutiny following the withdrawal of the New Fisheries Law project, amid emerging evidence of a potential alignment between official government rhetoric and the interests of the industrial fishing sector.
According to reports from elmostrador.cl, Minister of Economy Daniel Mas used technical arguments during his appearance before the Chamber of Deputies' Fisheries Committee that almost verbatim match a report from the industry association Sonapesca.
The analysis in the column points out that the Minister's remarks regarding "significant gaps in the implementation of the ecosystem-based approach" and "uncertainties in structural matters such as the auction system" appear identically in the Technical-Legal Report commissioned by Sonapesca from the consultancy firm Acuiestudios in May 2024.
Overlap with the Industrial Sector
The journalistic investigation highlights that Undersecretary Urrutia also used the term "foundational overhaul" to describe the project—a term previously used by the industry group to characterize the proposal as "sloppy and full of technical contradictions."
The text warns that Minister Mas also echoed arguments regarding the project's "low practical applicability," suggesting a process of regulatory capture by industrial interests.
The report notes that the authorities' defense of the "rules of the game" seeks to preserve the legacy system of the Longueira Law. This legal framework was famously marred by the Corpesca case, which resulted in the conviction of a former senator for bribery and significant fines for the company due to illegal political financing.
The controversy stems from the fact that the withdrawn project included a social platform intended for the 108,000 people who depend on artisanal fishing in Chile. According to the report, the withdrawal of the bill removes mechanisms for distributive justice, such as using additional revenue from industrial license auctions to fund social security for artisanal fishermen.
The author of the complaint argues that the technical language employed by the Ministry of Economy serves to mask the postponement of fundamental rights for workers in the artisanal sector.
