Chiloe, Melinka and Jechica Islands, Chile — dates:TBD
The Story
Coastal Chilean Patagonia is a spectacular landscape of islands and fiords reaching toward the Andes. The people of this region have lived and played by the whim of the sea for thousands of years. Supply and demand for sea harvests is a constantly shifting force impacting the health of marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them.
The Aysen region of Chile is currently the second largest producer of farmed salmon in the world. While aquaculture provides employment to areas where traditional fisheries have been lost, poor regulation of the industry has resulted in significant damage to the marine ecosystem.
But the realities of a global economy mean that fish farming is here to stay in Aysen. The question is whether a balance can be struck between the positive economic benefits and long-term costly environmental effects of the industry--and ultimately, how sustainable is the industry under it's current practices? The technology is certainly available to farm fish in more environmentally sound ways, but the local communities impacted by aquaculture and the global consumers who purchase farmed fish must press for the kind of regulation and enforcement that can better strike this balance.
Just as the salmon farming industry looks to redouble its efforts in Chile's Asyen region and casts its eye toward the world-renowned pristine waters of
The Assignment
This workshop takes place in the remote islands of the Aysen region of beautiful Patagonian Chile. Students have the opportunity to work directly with local and international NGOs to create photographs that help these organizations to better fight for the health of the coastal waters of Chile and for improved aquaculture practices in the region.
Students learn documentary field techniques and put them into practice covering the story while creating a portfolio on this issue. The workshop will commence on the private island of Jechica, which we will have all to ourselves for six days of lectures, editing sessions and shooting assignments with local residents, on traditional fishing boats and at working and abandoned salmon farms. We will explore all aspects of the story; from the traditional fisheries, alternative livelihoods like eco-tourism and the unique coastal Chilean culture. And, of course, all the while capturing the stunning beauty of this rugged, beautiful archipelago beneath the Patagonian Andes.
Representatives from our partner organizations will visit us to present their work in the region and to help us better understand the kind of photographs that will be beneficial in their work. Students will then spend two days on the island of Melinka, the 'salmon farming capital' of the region. From there, participants will travel to the village of Quellón on the island of Chiloe. These final two days are spent editing photographs, attending follow-up lectures and presenting the results of our work to our partner organizations.
Detailed itineraries & prices available soon
Email us to discuss the workshop
Learn more about salmon farming