On 14 December, Chileans elected José Antonio Kast of the far-right Partido Republicano de Chile as their next president in a runoff election.
Kast ran on a platform largely focused on combating crime and closing Chile’s borders to illegal immigration but has also signaled his intention to deregulate the nation’s aquaculture sector.
The Chilean presidential candidates, who also included Jeanette Jara of the Communist Party, and Evelyn Matthei of the traditional right-wing coalition Chile Vamos, held their first debate at the end of July at the Chilean Salmon Summit – an event that featured prominent private sector executives, former government authorities, leaders of environmental organizations, salmon industry experts, and the leading Chilean presidential candidates discussing how best to develop policies and strategies that ensure both economic productivity and environmental protection in the nation’s salmon-farming industry.
In his speech at the summit, Kast criticized previous state bureaucracy affecting the sector and proposed “substantial deregulation.” He presented a series of proposals aimed at strengthening the salmon industry, highlighting the need to eliminate obstacles and generate a more favorable environment for productive growth without compromising environmental standards.
“In a decade, 210 [salmon farm] relocation requests were filed. Guess how many have been approved in a decade. One. A shame. That is not regulation; that is institutional sabotage,” he said. “Changes were already urgent. Today, they are absolutely necessary with the issue of U.S. tariffs. Chile needs to be competitive again. It is not about subsidies or privileges. What this industry needs is for the state to stop putting obstacles in its way and allow it to develop peacefully, with clear rules.”
Kast particularly lashed out at the highly controversial Lafkenche Law, which was introduced to consider the territorial rights of Indigenous people in Chile, rooted in their ancestral use of marine resources that underpin their social structure and cultural practices.
“What started with a legitimate purpose has been distorted to the point of becoming a tool of political blackmail. More than 1,000 applications [for salmon industry development] remain paralyzed,” he said at the time, proposing to free up the applications blocked by said law and restore decision-making power to the regional commissions for coastal use.
Kast also linked economic development to public security, stating that “when organized crime is consolidated, it extorts and also exerts control over the salmon industry.”
“We are not going to negotiate with criminals. We are going to apply the full weight of the state. Chile will once again be a country where people can work in peace and where criminals know that their only fate will be prison,” he said.
He also noted that solutions to the country's problems require courageous leadership.
“Just as salmon swim against the current, we too are called to swim against this current of mediocrity and laziness. Chile needs to believe in itself again,” Kast said.
In subsequent speaking engagements, Kast has also said that if the right people and policies were in place, Chile could double its aquaculture production and even surpass Norway, the world’s leading salmon producing country.
According to Kast, ecological sustainability can only come after economic sustainability. Therefore, he proposed the relocation and merger of salmon concessions in order to lower environmental impact and health risk, in which he said the sector could quickly advance.
He also praised the 50-year plan the salmon sector has laid out to help drive sector development and stressed the need to strengthen infrastructure to accompany salmon-farming sector growth.
“For salmon farming to thrive, we need good airports, good ports, and better working conditions,” he said, noting that his platform seeks to improve existing policies rather than replace them.
Chile’s salmon industry congratulated the president-elect, who is set to take office in March 2026, and pledged to work with him in furthering salmon industry development.
“The new government faces the challenge of leading a national policy for salmon farming that will allow us to grow and develop sustainably. Chile deserves this, as does its second most exported product and the thousands of families who are part of this industry in the south of our country,” Chilean Salmon Council President Loreto Seguel said in a statement sent to SeafoodSource. “Chilean salmon is strategic for an industry that has transformed lives, combines innovation and talent, and positions us at the forefront globally. We are part of the solution to the global food challenge facing the world. As an industry association, and true to our principles, we reiterate our willingness and conviction to work collaboratively with the new government. Public-private partnerships are key to addressing development challenges and strengthening an industry that is an engine of growth and a source of national pride.”
Kast’s position runs directly counter to many key campaign promises made by President Gabriel Boric when he successfully ran for office. When he assumed office in 2022, he said was considering a moratorium on the farmed salmon sector that would halt its expansion in the country.
Previously, as a member of Chile's Congress, he questioned the environmental sustainability of the country’s salmon-farming industry.
