Anna Kowalczyk, director of the political science program at the Universidad Central de Chile in Santiago: “The protests organized by artisanal fishermen call for faster approval of new fishing legislation that would revise the current allocation of fishing quotas in their favor. Although the legislation was approved by the Chamber of Deputies in December, the fishermen fear it may be altered or stalled in the Senate. While the global fishing quota, which determines the allowable tonnage of specific fish species that can be extracted within a given timeframe, is set annually by the fishing authority, the division between industrial and artisan sectors is established by law. The current framework, dating back to 2013, heavily favors the industrial sector. Moreover, it suffers from a lack of legitimacy. It was shaped amid accusations of undue influence by large fishing companies during the legislative process and led to corruption scandals with lengthy prison sentences for several legislators. These concerns helped build strong…”