When Alessandro Bocconcelli first traveled to the Los Lagos region in southern Chile in 2014, he was captivated by its immense beauty. Located adjacent to the Pacific Ocean in the Chilean Patagonia, the region includes a large internal sea surrounded by enormous swaths of untouched wilderness. It is home to an abundance of marine life, including the blue whale.
But it has also been the subject of controversy due to the influx of salmon farming in the area.

On Wednesday afternoon, it was revealed that the Tierra del Fuego government had signed a letter of intent with Wanchese Argentina, a subsidiary of Cooke Canada, to promote the establishment of a salmon farming operation on the island.

For years, Scotland’s salmon industry has sold an image of cold, clean seas and “responsibly farmed” fish. Behind that marketing, regulators have been sitting on welfare inspection reports detailing mass mortalities, gruesome failures and shocking conditions on farms linked to supermarket favourites Co‑op and Marks & Spencer.