Chile is the second largest producer of farmed salmon in the world, covering 30% of the global demand. However, after the infectious anemia virus (ISA) crisis (between 2007 and 2010) and its multiple economic, social and environmental losses, was revealed that despite this economic activity brought socioeconomic benefits (Infante, 2007), also had detrimental effects on people and natural resources such as precarious conditions regarding work, health, and safety of the labor force (Barret & Caniggia, 2002); transformation of traditional cultural practices -based on traditional ways of using the coastal areas- to become a salaried dependent population (Sunkel & Infante , 2009; Muñoz Gomá, 2009); and the dispute over the use of natural marine resources, which is still the traditional source of livelihood for some local and indigenous communities (Barret & Caniggia, 2002). Therefore, to mitigate the impacts of aquaculture, WWF Chile implements since 2011, the Strategy for the Promotion of the ASC Certification System that seeks to reduce the ecological and social footprint of this activity through social and environmental standards and good practices. Since 2013, 40 farms have been certified in Chile, representing over the 10% of the national salmon production. The studies for assessing the environmental and social impacts of the ASC adoption are being developed by WWF since 2016. In the case of assessing the social impacts, the question is whether the requirements for certification are sufficient for decreasing the negative social impacts of salmon farming by translating them into good practices perceived by the local community- associated to free access to natural resources, conflict resolution, and governance- in order to clarify the social impacts of the ASC certification. This study case will help to clarify whether there are changes in the salmon industry`s practices as a result of the adoption of the ASC certification according to the local community’ perception as well as understanding the local-global relations based on the certified salmon farming centers located in the Aysen Province. The whole research, which includes at least 3 evaluations, is extremely relevant to understand the effectiveness of the ASC certification and to improve it if necessary.
The research will be developed through a qualitative case study (Yin, 1989) of two towns located in the Chiloense Marine Eco-Region of Chile (Aysen Province), a worldwide prior biodiversity site populated by indigenous and Chilean communities. The fieldwork will be developed in February and the results and conclusions will be handled in May 2017.
The study is directly related with the central topic of the conference since it seeks to contribute to develop a salmon certification which ensures social sustainability at the local level, including aspects of human, social, and cultural life such as equity, public participation in decision making, protection of the indigenous peoples rights, and cultural autonomy (see Apostle et al., 1998; Bernstein, Crow, & Johnson, 1992; Chambers, 1987 in Barret 2002).
Key words: salmon farming, ASC certification, governance, social impacts, local community.
