A commercial diver has died while working at a Mowi Chile salmon farm, marking the latest in a series of fatal accidents that have made 2026 one of the deadliest years on record for commercial diving in Chile’s salmon farming industry.
The latest fatality reportedly takes the number of diver deaths in the sector to more than 10 so far this year, while labour groups estimate that around 90 workers have lost their lives in salmon farming operations over the past 12 years, highlighting longstanding concerns over diver safety.
According to industry publication Fish Farming Expert, the diver was a 27-year-old contractor from Coronel working for diving company Tridente when the accident occurred during operations at Mowi’s Bhutan 7 salmon farm, located approximately 47 nautical miles southwest of Puerto Aguirre in Chile’s Aysén Region.
Investigation underway
Chile’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the incident, while the Permanent Maritime Prosecutor of the Aysén Maritime Governorate has begun an administrative investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the diver’s death and determine whether any failures contributed to the accident.
Mowi Chile expressed its condolences following the tragedy.
“We deeply regret the death of the worker from the contracting company El Tridente,” the company said in a statement, adding that it is cooperating fully with the authorities during the investigation.
The contractor, Tridente, has also stated it will assist investigators and provide all necessary information.
A troubling pattern
The incident is not an isolated one.
Multiple commercial divers have died while working at Chilean salmon farms during 2026, with previous fatalities prompting investigations by maritime authorities and renewed calls for stronger safety protections across the aquaculture sector.
Industry organisations and labour representatives have repeatedly warned that fatal diving accidents have become an unacceptable feature of salmon farming operations, particularly in the remote waters of southern Chile where divers perform demanding underwater maintenance, inspection and net-cleaning work.
Following the latest death, salmon sector unions called for the creation of an intersectoral working group to develop long-term solutions aimed at preventing further fatalities.
90 deaths in 12 years
The latest accident has also reignited wider concerns over the industry’s overall safety record.
Environmental and labour organisations estimate that around 90 workers have died in Chile’s salmon farming industry during the past 12 years, with commercial divers accounting for a significant proportion of those fatalities. The figures have fuelled growing pressure for stricter enforcement of diving regulations, improved contractor oversight and stronger workplace safety standards.
As investigators work to establish exactly what happened at the Bhutan 7 site, the latest tragedy is likely to intensify calls for reforms aimed at protecting the divers who carry out some of the industry’s most hazardous work.
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