MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chilean congress has two years to rewrite a new Fisheries bill

The repeal initiative received 117 votes, no nays and twenty abstentions. The bill now begins to be discussed in the Chilean Senate.

The Chilean Lower House approved a bill repealing the “Fisheries Law”, better known as the “Longueira Law” since he was the great sponsor and defender of the legislation when he was the Economy minister. The repeal initiative received 117 votes, no nays, and twenty abstentions. The bill now begins to be discussed in the Chilean Senate.

 The bill establishes a two year period to repeal the current law and draft a new bill. This follows on the initiative in November 2020 when lawmakers agreed to discuss the fisheries issue on a motion from representative Karol Cariola and other nine former lawmakers.

The repeal bill has an article which establishes the nullifying of Law 20.657, modifies the sustainability of hydro biological resources environment, access to industrial and artisanal fishing activities and regulates research and control, plus Law 18.892 referred to Fisheries and Aquaculture and modifications.

There is a transitory article pointing out that the repeal becomes effective when a new Fisheries and Aquaculture Law is approved and published in the Official Gazette, and this should happen in no more than two years.

Once the bill was sent to the Senate, lawmaker from the ruling coalition twitted emotionally, “At last. After years of work we sent to the senate the repeal of the 'corruptfisheriesbill'. We're going for a new law that protects the sea, recovers fisheries and will allow us to retake the sovereignty that the corrupt snatched from the people!”