Ecological and fishing organizations are praising President Michelle Bachelet´s decision to declare Chile a “zone free of cetaceous animal hunting”, prohibiting the capture and killing of whales, which are to be declared “a natural monument”. “We have coexisted with the whales for centuries in all waters that we fish in”, stated Cosme Caracciolo, the executive director of the National Confederation of Local Fishermen.

“We know all of the places where there are frequent sightings and they are located in many areas of our sea territory, which is why we support the permanent prohibition of whale hunting”, added the director. According to Juan Carlos Cárdenas, the director of Ecoceanos, Bachelet´s declaration represents a triumph for “the citizens, the unity and the image of this country, as well as the ecosystems and civil wellbeing in general”.

Barbara Galletti, the president of the Center for Cetaceous Animal Conservation, asserted, “President Bachelet´s announcement is a victory in the sense that we, as an independent sovereign nation, have decided to utilize and conserve the cetaceous animal population within Chilean waters”.

(El Mercurio, 22/05/2008)