Those who eat Chilean salmon cannot imagine how much human blood it carries with it'

"She lives in the small town of Maullin, on the edge of Chile's Patagonia, an area where almost everyone works in the fishing industry. Outside, it is drizzling and the sky is darkening as she recalls 1 May 2019, one of the worst days of her life. Two men knocked on my door and told me they had bad news: my husband had had an accident while working at sea, she says."

"An autopsy proved that Arturo Vera, 59, a diver at one of Chile's salmon farms, was struck by a boat's propeller and injured in the head, ribs and throat. He had been working at the Taraba fish farm in Puerto Natales, in Magallanes, the southernmost region of Chilean Patagonia. Divers working in the salmon farm say the fatal injuries happened in violation of safety regulations, at a time when the boat's engine was supposed to be turned off."

"Chile's fast-growing salmon industry has been tied to deadly labour conditions, rampant antibiotic use and severe environmental damage, putting workers and communities at risk. Indigenous groups and small-scale fishers report polluted waters, vanishing wildlife and threats to their cultural practices. Over the last 12 years, the salmon industry in Chile has had the highest rate of accidents and deaths at work in the aquaculture sector globally, says Juan Carlos Cardenas, director of Ecoceanos, a conservationist NGO."

Julia Carcamo Lopez's husband, diver Arturo Vera, was struck by a boat propeller and killed while working at the Taraba fish farm in Puerto Natales. An autopsy and diver testimony indicate fatal injuries occurred when safety rules were violated and a boat engine was operating when it should have been off. The family received court-ordered compensation and the company was fined for labour and safety breaches. Chile's salmon industry reports widespread problems including the highest aquaculture workplace fatality rate globally, heavy antibiotic use, environmental pollution, and impacts on indigenous groups and small-scale fishers.

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