Original article: La abundancia de especies disminuyó en un 75%: revelan grave deterioro a la biodiversidad en fiordos de la Patagonia «There is Significant and Permanent Damage Hidden Beneath the Surface»: Chilean Patagonia Faces a Silent Crisis That Alerts the World What lies beneath the pristine waters of Chilean Patagonia has begun to raise alarm on a global scale. This is revealed in a report from Rock and Pop, published today and based on over twenty years of scientific monitoring. According to the publication, scientists and activists are denouncing a drastic decline in the biodiversity of the fjords, a unique ecosystem facing unprecedented pressures from salmon farming and climate change.
German biologist Vreni Häussermann, who has dedicated two decades to the study of marine invertebrates in Chile, warns about the invisibility of this crisis. «There is significant and permanent damage that remains hidden beneath the surface, which is why no one is concerned,» explains the researcher, emphasizing that the area’s isolation complicates both regulation and scientific study. Her research is conducted in collaboration with the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Germany.
Monitoring in Comau Fjord reveals alarming figures. According to the publication, the abundance of dominant species has decreased by nearly 75% in just a decade, and several species that were once common are no longer seen. The excess of nutrients—undigested food and feces—along with antibiotics and chemicals generates sediments that suffocate filter-feeding species such as cold-water corals, a unique natural laboratory.
Chilean-German activist Peter Hartmann from the Aisén Reserva de Vida group labeled the intervention in these waters as «a great irresponsibility,» according to DW. Furthermore, figures from the Save Patagonia movement indicate that 30% of salmon farming concessions (408) are currently located within national parks and reserves. «Patagonia is akin to the Amazon.
Historically, there has been tremendous depredation of the sea,» Hartmann declares. Experts are issuing urgent calls for action. Häussermann is currently working on a biogeographic analysis to subdivide Patagonia according to its marine communities, providing critical evidence for establishing effective Marine Protected Areas.
Without a profound change in production practices and an increase in state oversight in these isolated territories, the damage beneath the surface—as the scientist warns—could become irreversible for future generations.