MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Unanimous vote for Chile's coastline whale sanctuary

Chile's Chamber of Deputies voted unanimously last week to declare the country's coastline a whale sanctuary. The vote is a major step in protecting whales from hunting in Chilean waters – 200 miles from the coast, along the entire length of the country.

The bill had received unanimous approval from the Chamber's Natural Resources and Environment Committee on August 6 and from the Committee on Fishing, Aquaculture and Maritime Interests on August 12. Environment Minister Ana Lya Uriarte was present for both votes. The 58-0 vote in the full Chamber of Deputies came after lobbying by several members of the Natural Resources Committee. In a round of speeches, the deputies emphasized the importance of protecting whales in particular, marine fauna, and their ecosystems in general. "Here, we're living in the midst of a cultural change," Socialist Party (PS) Dep. Fulvio Rossi said during the legislative session. "It is a tremendous and important change for the environmental conscience of our country. We owe thanks to a great many organizations that fight for environmental protection and preservation. This is a symbol Chile is sending out to the rest of the world, including those countries that continue to hunt whales." "I hope this will spark a change in our laws and in the behavior of the various sectors of our government," Rossi added. "Our ministries give far too little attention to the defense of our environment. I am very happy to be witnessing this profound change in the desire to protect our rich biodiversity." Independent Democratic Uniion (UDI) Dep. Enrique Estay urged his colleagues to use the creation of the whale sanctuary as a jumping-off point for protections of other species, including krill, the main source of food for many whale species. "Furthermore, krill has an important role in the planet's equilibrium," Estay said. "But its populations are rapidly declining." Estay called on the Environment Ministry to research policy mechanisms which might effectively protect Antarctic krill. "It is necessary to emphasize the work of the Chilean Cetacean Conservation Center," Party for Democracy (PPD) Dep. Patricio Hales said. "These citizens have worked very hard for many years on this issue."