Chile suspends the northern octopus ban for one week in Tarapacá and Antofagasta

The Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism exceptionally suspended the biological closure of the northern octopus (Octopus mimus) in the regions of Tarapacá and Antofagasta between November 1 and November 7, 2026, both dates inclusive. The decision is contained in exempt decree No. 202600194 and was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile No. 44,598, on Friday, November 13, 2026, Section I, General Norms, under official reference CVE 2900947.

The regulation was issued by the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture and bears the signature of Undersecretary Osvaldo Urrutia Silva, in Valparaíso, on October 29, 2026. This is an extract: the full text of the decree is published on the electronic domain sites of the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service.

An exception limited to the northern macrozone

The suspension operates over the biological closure currently in effect for this resource, established by exempt decree No. 254 of 2000, from the same ministry. Decree 202600194 does not eliminate that closure nor does it establish a new one: it only interrupts it exceptionally for seven days during 2026.

The territorial scope of the exception is limited to two regions:

• Tarapacá, in the far north of the country.
• Antofagasta, immediately south of the former.

Outside of that polygon, the prohibition on capturing the resource remains under the terms of the 2000 decree. The measure directly affects artisanal fishers operating in both regions, as well as the marketers and plants that supply that circuit.

Dates and temporal scope

The suspension window spanned from November 1 to November 7, 2026, with both endpoints included. The publication in the Official Gazette occurred on November 13, that is, after the close of that period, meaning the official extract appeared after the excepted days had passed.

The instrument does not incorporate capture quotas, special minimum sizes, or maximum volumes for the excepted period; its declared objective is solely to suspend the biological closure in the indicated maritime area and for the specified term. Nor does it set additional processing deadlines: the decree is of immediate effect from its issuance.

The immediate precedent in the same portfolio

The suspension of the northern octopus is added to other temporary exceptions adopted by the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture during the second half of 2026. In October, the portfolio had suspended the biological closure of the cholga resource in the maritime area of the Los Lagos Region between October 1 and October 15, 2026, through exempt decree No. 202600166, published in the Official Gazette No. 44,569, on October 8, 2026.

Both cases share the same administrative format: an exempt decree from the economic portfolio, an extract published in Section I, and the referral of the full text to the portals of the Undersecretariat and Sernapesca. The difference lies in the scope: fifteen days and one region in the case of the cholga; seven days and two regions in the case of the northern octopus.

For operators in the northern macrozone, the late publication of the extract implies that the exception had already expired by the time of its official dissemination, which hinders its use as documentary support for catches made during those days. Those who need to prove the regulatory protection of operations carried out between November 1 and 7 must refer to the full text of exempt decree No. 202600194 on the Undersecretariat or Sernapesca websites, as the extract from the Official Gazette only records the act and its timeframe.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,598, Friday, November 13, 2026, Section I, General Norms, p. 1 (official reference: CVE 2900947).