Local fishermen protest against Chilean company, Celulosa Arauco

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VALDIVIA.- For approximately two hours, some 160 local fishermen blocked the highway accessing the city of Valdivia to protest against a Celulosa Arauco plant which plans to install an duct to remove sea waste.

At 06:00 AM, the protesters, broken into three groups, formed the same number of barricades at strategic access points to the capital of the River Region.

The protesters were complaining because the new waste duct that the company plans to build will flow into Maiquillahue, the area where they work, and they are afraid of possible contamination.

The protest was organized by the labor union "Sindicato de Tripulantes Cerqueros Artesenales de Niebla". This group also rejected an agreement, reached by the company and five labor unions in Mehuín, which offered to perform research before constructing the duct.

The protest caused a traffic break in both directions, resulting in a traffic jam that was not resolved until approximately 08:00 AM.