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(…) despite the existence of abundant water resources in some parts of the country, there is a water shortage in the central and northern parts of Chile, where most of the mining and farming, activities that consume large amounts of water, is carried out. Therefore, in order to increase the availability of water, Chile is in the process of building reservoirs and small regional dams and introducing methods of making more efficient use of the resource and crop varieties that require less water.

(…) The Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) is the body responsible for sanitary and phytosanitary protection, as well as for renewable natural resources; the SAG is also required to facilitate export and import trade and to supervise the process of certification of export products. The National Forest Corporation (CONAF) is the entity responsible for promoting the sustainable use of the country's forest resources, administering the instruments for the development of forestry and promoting the generation of environmental services. (...)

The Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) is in charge of determining the rules and procedures for import and release of living modified plant organisms, under regulated conditions, whether produced in Chile or abroad and intended for release into the environment. The SAG's regulations in this respect cover both export and safeguard measures for the residue, byproducts and waste. Throughout the whole procedure, the SAG monitors the seed banks in Chile which have living modified plant organisms in order to ensure their full traceability.

In Chile, the release of living modified plant organisms into the environment for propagation is permitted, subject to authorization by the SAG (Agriculture and Livestock Service). An application has to be submitted to the SAG for the import of transgenic seeds. This is given after a risk assessment and following a favourable report from the competent authority in the country of origin stating that release into the environment in that country had had no negative effects. For import to be authorized, there must be a SAG authorized collection point where the transgenic material can be stored. Likewise, living modified plant organisms developed in Chile may be released into the environment, subject to authorization by the SAG, if a risk assessment has been conducted and it has been found that the tests carried out prior to its release into the environment had no negative effects. Authorizations to import and release living modified plant organisms, whether imported or developed in Chile, are issued on a case by case basis depending on the species and the genetic modification incorporated.

Chile has a 4,300 km long coastline and within its exclusive economic zone there are highly productive eco systems. These have endowed the country with almost unique advantages as a producer of highly valued fishery resources in great demand on world markets, enabling it to position itself among the top ten fishery resource producers in the world.

One of the most important changes in the fisheries sector since the last review is the amendment, in 2013, of the General Law on Fishing and Aquaculture of 1991, which included provisions for ensuring the sustainability of hydrobiological resources. In particular, the conditions of access to industrial and small scale fishing activities were modified and new provisions for supervising fishery resources were included. In the aquaculture subsector the most important changes concerned environmental and health issues. By virtue of Supreme Decree No. 72 of 13 June 2011, the sanitary requirements for importing hydrobiological species were adapted to the OIE risk analysis.

The Undersecretariat of Fishing and Aquaculture of the Ministry of the Economy is the agency responsible for formulating fishing and aquaculture policy. The Undersecretariat is divided into various services with different mandates. These include: the Fisheries Administration Fund (FAP), responsible for promoting and developing small scale fishing and for implementing programmes for the surveillance, supervision and administration of activities associated with small scale and recreational fishing; the Fishing and Aquaculture Research Fund (FIP), which finances studies needed to underpin the adoption of fishery and aquaculture management measures; the National Fishing Council (CNP), responsible for providing the Undersecretariat of Fishing with opinions, recommendations and technical reports on all the matters indicated in the General Law on Fishing and Aquaculture; and the National Fisheries Service (SERNAPESCA), which verifies compliance with the fishing and aquaculture regulations, provides services to facilitate their implementation, and is responsible for the sanitary supervision of the sector. Other bodies involved with the sector include: the Institute for the Promotion of Fishing (IFOP); the National Aquaculture Commission; the Management Committees for the various species; and the Zonal Fishing Councils.

Chile has four types of regime for granting access to fishery resources. For each regime there is a different fishing permit: for the general access regime fishing authorizations are granted; for the fully exploited fisheries regimes licences are granted; and for the recovering and incipient fisheries regimes special permits are granted. In general, if the applicant is a natural person, he must be a Chilean or a foreigner with a permanent residence permit, and if the applicant is a legal person, it must be lawfully established in Chile. The aquaculture subsector continues to be of major importance for Chile since it is one of its main export industries. Aquaculture concessions are granted for a renewable period of 25 years, and may be transferred. There are no nationality restrictions.

Chile has four types of regime for granting access to fishery resources: (i) a general access regime; (ii) a regime for species being fully exploited ; (iii) a recovering fisheries regime; and (iv) an incipient fisheries regime. For each regime there is a different fishing permit: for the general access regime fishing authorizations are granted; for the fully exploited fisheries regime licences are granted; and for the recovering and incipient fisheries regimes special permits are granted.

Persons interested in engaging in industrial fishing within the framework of the general access regime must, for each vessel, request a fishing authorization from the Undersecretariat of Fishing and Aquaculture. The fishing boats must be registered in Chile, in accordance with the provisions of the Shipping Law. If the applicant is a natural person, he must be a Chilean or a foreigner with a permanent residence permit, and if the applicant is a legal person, it must be lawfully established in Chile. These authorizations are granted when the following requirements are met: valid evidence of ownership of the vessel for which a fishing authorization is requested; identification of the hydrobiological species it is intended to exploit and the fishing area in which it is proposed to catch fish; identification and characteristics of the vessel to be used; and specification of the fishing method, system or gear to be employed. The application may be rejected on natural resource management grounds.