Eight months after José Antonio Kast's government withdrew from the Comptroller's office the decree creating two new marine parks around the Juan Fernández and Desventuradas islands, the archipelago's community insists it be resubmitted before year-end. The parks would add about 360,000 square kilometers of protection and take Chile from protecting 44% to 54% of its exclusive economic zone, according to Mongabay Latam.
The case pits a fishing community asking for more protection against swordfish and jack mackerel fleets that object, and adds an alternative proposal from the Fisheries Undersecretariat. This is what is known.
What the Juan Fernández II and Nazca-Desventuradas II marine parks are
On March 10, 2026, in the last hours of Gabriel Boric's government, the Council of Ministers for Sustainability approved the creation of the Mar de Juan Fernández II and Nazca-Desventuradas II national parks, and the decree was sent that same day to the Comptroller for review, El Mostrador reconstructed. At the time, the Environment Ministry said that together the two parks would be the third-largest marine park in the world, according to La Tercera.
On March 17, with Kast in office, the Environment Ministry withdrew 43 environmental decrees of the previous government from the Comptroller's office for review, this one among them, La Tercera reported.
| Area | Size | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nazca-Desventuradas Park | 300,035 km² | In force since 2016 | El Mostrador |
| Mar de Juan Fernández Park | 262,000 km² | In force since 2018 | El Mostrador |
| Crusoe and Selkirk Seamounts Park | 1,078 km² | In force | Mongabay Latam |
| Mar de Juan Fernández II | 216,527 km² (193,998 km² per La Tercera) | Decree withdrawn from the Comptroller | Mongabay Latam, La Tercera |
| Nazca-Desventuradas II | 142,928 km² (143,323 km² per La Tercera) | Decree withdrawn from the Comptroller | Mongabay Latam, La Tercera |
The sizes of the new parks differ between sources, probably because of changes to the polygons, and should be read as approximate. The signed decree left out some 22,000 square kilometers where commercial fishing operates at low intensity, Juan Fernández mayor Pablo Manríquez told Mongabay.
Why the Juan Fernández community wants more protection
The island's economy revolves around the Juan Fernández rock lobster (Jasus frontalis), and local fishers pushed for protection measures more than a century ago. Between 1999 and 2006, bottom trawling for orange roughy and alfonsino damaged the seamounts, which led the community to seek protection for the entire exclusive economic zone, according to Mongabay Latam.
- Local support: a 2025 door-to-door consultation recorded 99% backing on Robinson Crusoe.
- Endemism: 87.5% of Juan Fernández fish and 72% of Desventuradas fish are regionally endemic, according to the parks' technical report.
- Political backing: the September letter asking the president to resubmit the decree was signed by senators from the Environment Committee and from Valparaíso, deputies from District 7 and the National Confederation of Artisanal Fishers.
- High-seas fishing: between 2012 and 2025, Global Fishing Watch detected 133 vessels with 42,604 hours of apparent fishing in international waters between the two archipelagos, mostly Chinese squid jiggers.
The objections of the swordfish and jack mackerel fleets
The National Swordfish Fishery Board and the Jack Mackerel Management Committee objected to the expansion in December 2025, and the Fisheries Undersecretariat said that if the parks were created the state should consider mitigation or compensation for the affected fleet, according to El Mostrador. "We object because it takes away more fishing areas where we have historically fished," Sergio Hernández, of the Lebu artisanal shipowners, told Mongabay.
Supporters reply that legal catches reported in the area equal 2% of national swordfish landings and that the Undersecretariat itself described that fleet's historical use as "low intensity." In October 2026 the Undersecretariat proposed another option: a multiple-use conservation area, which allows fishing, instead of expanding the parks. The swordfish groups back it and the island community rejects it, according to Mongabay Latam.
What the government says about the Juan Fernández marine parks
Environment Minister Francisca Toledo told the Senate Environment Committee in August that errors in the decree were being fixed, such as how the polygon coordinates were presented, and that she expected the pending steps to be completed in the second half of the year, according to Mongabay Latam. As of November 3 the decree had not been resubmitted to the Comptroller.
| Date | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2025 | The municipality and community file the formal proposal | El Mostrador |
| March 10, 2026 | Council of Ministers approves; Boric signs and sends it to the Comptroller | El Mostrador |
| March 17, 2026 | The government withdraws 43 environmental decrees from the Comptroller | La Tercera |
| August 2026 | Minister Toledo announces corrections to the decree | Mongabay Latam |
| September 28, 2026 | Letter to the president asking to resubmit the decree | Mongabay Latam |
| October 2026 | The Fisheries Undersecretariat proposes a multiple-use area | Mongabay Latam |
The case also touches Valparaíso's bid to host the secretariat of the High Seas Treaty, which Chile is promoting. Other government issues in Kast's European tour and in the 2027 budget debate.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Mar de Juan Fernández II and Nazca-Desventuradas II parks in force?
No. The decree was signed on March 10, 2026, but Kast's government withdrew it from the Comptroller on March 17 and had not resubmitted it by November 3.
How much ocean would Chile protect with the new parks?
It would go from 44% to 54% of its exclusive economic zone, with about 360,000 additional km², according to Mongabay Latam.
Who objects?
The National Swordfish Fishery Board and the Jack Mackerel Management Committee, which fear losing fishing grounds.
What does the Fisheries Undersecretariat propose?
A multiple-use conservation area, which allows fishing, instead of expanding the parks. The Juan Fernández community rejects it.
