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Chaiten Volcano News

Chaiten Volcano erupted on May 2 in southern Chile, spewing tons of toxic ash into the sky. The fishing season was over by then, so anglers were not caught in the emergency evacuations and airport shutdowns caused by the disaster. The entire international angling community, however, is concerned about how this environmental catastrophe has affected the area's pristine fisheries and the lodges that depend on them. To keep everyone up to date on the situation, we have contacted various agents and operators from Chile and put together the following log of reports. Operators have promised to check in with updates on the condition of the various lodges in the area and the waters they fish.

By The Editors of The Angling Report
July 22, 2008

[] News on that volcano we've been telling you about in Chile has dissipated along with the volcano's activity this past month. According to the National Service of Geology and Mining in Chile, seismic activity has been down after a new vent opened on the volcano June 30. Emissions at that time did increase, releasing the pressure that was causing the tremors, but by press time in mid-July, operators in the area reported that continued rains had washed away the ash and had flushed the rivers. Indeed, the web site Geology.com features a satellite photograph showing the ash deltas created on Chile's coast by rivers carrying ash out to the ocean. The long-term effects on the fisheries are unknown, and there is still much speculation about whether the volcano will remain active and continue coughing up gas and debris or go back to sleep. For now, operators in Chaiten's shadow are hoping for continued calm and a normal fishing season. Those to the east in Argentina and farther south report clear waters and normal fish activity.

     Ironically, the threat of the volcano has rekindled government support for a project that many think is a much bigger threat to the region than a volcano. That's the construction of a highway that would run from Chaiten to Puerto Montt, cutting through pristine wilderness the entire way. Part of that would run right through Pumalin Park, the million-acre tract purchased by Douglas Tompkins, founder of North Face and Esprit, over 10 years ago with the sole intention of protecting it as a wilderness preserve. The road would be part of the Carretera Austral, or Southern Highway, first started by Pinochet in the 1980s with plans to connect the Chilean Patagonia Region to the rest of the country. After two decades of construction, the road ends north of Chaiten and has remained uncompleted. After the eruption of the Chaiten Volcano, proponents of the road argued that the evacuation of the Town of Chaiten would have been much easier had that road been in place. The road project has the full support of the current Chilean government.

     While it could be argued that a road is not necessarily a bad thing, there are those who believe it would be used to open the way for two huge energy companies to construct five mega dams in the Aysen area. The proposal is to construct two on the Rio Baker and three on the Rio Pascua, irrevocably changing those two river corridors and flooding 15,000 acres of Patagonian wilderness. To get the power from the dams to the capitol of Santiago, the companies propose constructing a 2,300-kilometer powerline that - you guessed it - would run parallel to the Southern Highway. It would cross most of the major river systems in the region and pass through several national parks and preserves. It would mar the pristine scenic areas near many of Chile's fishing lodges.

     Of course, there are a number of conservation groups and individuals fighting this development. Douglas Tompkins and the Patagonia Defense Council are highly organized in their opposition to both the road project and the dams. You can read more about the threats posed by the projects and how you can get involved to fight them by checking out the following web sites:

  • http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/2008/08/special-report/chile/jon-bowermaster-text/1 - The web site for National Geographic's Adventure magazine, it features the article, "Fallout on the Fu." The story explores the threats to the area by the proposed development projects, as well as the effects of exaggerated media coverage of the Chaiten Volcano on the eco-tourism industry there.

  • www.conservacionpatagonica.org - This conservation organization is directly involved in fighting the dam projects proposed in Patagonia.

  • http://www.patagoniatimes.cl/content/view/564/26 - This article from The Patagonia Times provides some insight into the politics behind support of the dam project.

  • http://www.patagoniasinrepresas.cl/final/noticia.php?id_noticia=336 - Read how to help The Patagonia Without Dams Campaign In Chile.


    May 20, Alfredo Zubiri El Aura Lodge


    May 16, Alfredo Zubiri, El Aura Lodge

    Here are two pictures of Lago Verde, taken by myself from the shore of the lodge. The first one shows autumn in Patagonia, the nicest time of the year. Quiet, Silent. Clean blue sky. Yellow light. The second one shows the huge cloud of ashes coming from the WSW, a threatening and dark mass.

    As it can be seen the ash fall has not been so important as in the Esquel area, maybe because the national park is deeply protected by the mountains. We had ash for several days and we expect more but at the present time the National Park Agency believes the park will not be deeply affected. But obviously that will depend on the size of the volcano eruptions.

    The experience of being in the place you love and feel it menaced by the huge power of nature while recognizing your weakness to fight it, has changed me. So now I wait and pray, and am confident in the power of the park and of beauty as I believe beauty defends itself.





    May 15, David Keasal

    On Volcanoes and Flight Services

    There's an interesting history behind volcanic ash encounters. The jet age began during a period of relatively few volcanic eruptions, so the dangers of volcanic ash really didn't come to the forefront until 1982 when a British Airways Boeing 747 flying at 37,000 feet near Mt. Galunggung in Indonesia lost all four engines after an encounter with volcanic ash. They finally restored partial power at 14,000 feet and were able to make a safe landing at Jakarta. The same thing happened to a KLM crew in 1989 when ash from Alaska's Mt. Redoubt caused all four engines of their 747 to flame out. They were able to get the engines relit, but they wouldn't develop full power. In spite of a windshield which was so sandblasted that they couldn't see through it, they made a safe landing in Anchorage.

    A report made by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) says, "Between 1980 and 2004, more than 100 jet aircraft sustained damage after flying through volcanic ash clouds. The repairs cost more than $250 million. At least 7 of these encounters resulted in temporary engine failure, with 3 aircraft losing power from all engines."

    The ash particles are suspended high in the air, sometimes for weeks, and will enter into a jet engine along with the intake of combustion air. Once in the engine, the heat of combustion makes the particles become "ceramitized", and form a glass-like coating on the internal vanes and turbines of the engine. This may develop to the point of causing the engine to flame out, though sometimes the engine will restart at a lower altitude where the air is more dense. Today, ash clouds are shown on weather maps, advisories (SIGMETS) are issued, and airlines avoid areas of know volcanic ash. In addition, pilots are taught techniques to minimize engine damage in case of an inadvertent encounter with volcanic ash.

    A major volcanic eruption may create a large "no fly zone" downwind of the volcano, and the condition may last for weeks.

    I've been hearing about flight delays and reroutes due to the eruption in Chile. All we can do is wait for conditions to improve. It's terribly sad to lose the fishery that your reader describes. Incredible that the mountain is erupting after being quiet for thousands and thousands of years. Below is a recent satellite photo found on Storm2K.org. To read the latest aviation advisory (it's quite long), go to http://www.bom.gov.au/products/Volc_ash_recent.shtml.


    May 15, Bob McMeekin

    You may have had many commentaries about the disastrous eruption of the Chaiten volcano that's destroying the Lake Yelcho fishery and areas farther east and south in Chile and across the border in Argentina. For what it's worth, here's a note from this Honor Roll subscriber. I haven't been to the area (you can't fly in because the acid ash would eat holes in the wings and fuselage of an aluminum aircraft) but have been following the news closely, and I know the area well on both sides of the border. There are other great places to fish in Patagonia, but it's terribly sad that this outstanding fishery is as good as gone.

    Disaster in the Lago Yelcho area

    One of the greatest trout fishing areas in Patagonia or - one could argue - in the world, is being destroyed by volcanic ash. On May second the Volcano Chaiten, near the town of that name in southern Chile, erupted with tremendous force. Geologists say the most recent eruption was around 9,000 years ago and the volcano has seemed so quiet that there was no monitoring equipment in place. This is, however, a really big one, shooting a column of ash 30 kilometers (about 18 miles) into the sky, and that is the cause of the damage to wonderful lakes and streams on both sides of the border between Chile and Argentina.

    The ash is highly acidic - fish in the Rio Futaleufu are already being killed - and is effect on people, all foliage, livestock and, of course trout. Near the volcano itself it accumulated to eight inches in the first few days. The town of Chaiten has been completely evacuated (and recently the ash blocked a river near the town causing floods; it's a mess) but there has been only one death directly attributable to the eruption.

    The winds are carrying the plume of ash southeast from the three-kilometer wide caldera of the volcano, which means the area on which the ash is falling includes all of Lake Yelcho, the Futaleufu river which feeds into it (it's called the Rio Grande on the Argentine side of the border) and the Rio Yelcho that flows out of the lake. It ash fall extends across the border to Esquel (and streams such as the Rio Pescado there) and as far south as Palena (in another river valley) in Chile. Lake Yelcho itself is nearly 20 miles long and has a huge volume of water so it will be a while before the acidity kills many fish, but because all the water flowing into it is contaminated by the acid, it's only a matter of time. (About the only good news is that the plume seems to pass south of the Parque Los Alerces de Argentina with its great lakes and streams.)

    If you've ever fished the area - and seen five- to eight-pound trout hurling themselves completely into the air to catch dragonflies when they're in season - of if you've heard about it and dreamed of going there, forget about it. Gonzalo Cortes, who owns an Angling Report-approved fly shop in Santiago and recently completed a lodge called Chucao on the banks of the Yelcho, is seeing his excellent lodge covered in ash and all hope for the future dashed. The same is true for other fine lodges such as Isla Monita, Bahia de los Leones and others in the area.

    How long will the problem last? For the rest of my lifetime and probably that of most readers. There was another eruption, the Hudson volcano farther south, in 1991 (By comparison, it threw ash 10 kilometers into the air). I recently drove through the valley of the Ibanez River that was affected by the Hudson eruption 17 years ago and saw that the river itself is still discolored and devoid of all life and the area is ghostly with trees killed by the ash standing throughout the valley. Ash from the Hudson carried as far as the Falkland (or Malvinas) Islands while the ash from the Chaiten eruption will soon reach Africa.

    The Chaiten eruption continues and shows signs of possibly getting worse (two vents in the caldera have now joined into one big one). If you key "Chaiten Volcano" into Google or any other search engine you'll find many sites with up-to-date information. Few of those, however, focus on the devastation of what was once a truly outstanding fishing destination.


    May 15, Gonzalo Cortes Chucao Lodges At Yelcho Lake and Rosselot Lake

    The volcano eruption its affecting right now only all fishing waters around Chaiten. Chaiten town is almost under water with mud and ashes as Blanco River got out of its bank and passed over the city. Until this point Chaiten town is uninhabitable and seems this stage will be for ever. Fortunately all our employees are safe; most of them were relocated in cities around the area.

    Fortunately for us, Lago Yelcho is located 70 miles from Chaiten, however did also receive ashes within first part of the eruption. I believe is too soon to assure that trout population, insect and other wild life of the Yelcho Lake will not get affected by ashes as part of the lake is receiving right now ashes coming by the Futaleufu River. Futaleufu Valley did receive thousand of tons of ashes, so the river is carrying part of them. Not only Futaleufu Valley got affected, also waters and lodges located on the Argentinean border in Parque Nacional Los Alerces could also get affected. I just came back from the area where my lodge is, and did not see any trout death around Puerto Cardenas where the Chucao Lodge is located and where Yelcho Lake empties the waters into Yelcho River and then in to the Pacific Ocean.

    Until this point none of the lodges located in the river bank of Yelcho Lake and river have been affected in their buildings. They only received a few centimeters of ashes in gardens and areas around. Nothing that rain cannot easily clean. It is raining very hard at this moment.

    Yelcho River presented waters little off color as is only receiving waters decanted in the lake. Futaleufu river is totally off color in this moment same as the Lake Yelcho around the mouth of the river. Other lodges located in Futaleufu town and the valley are also affected in their surroundings with lot of ashes. About 15 centimeters.

    Our other lodge located at the Rosselot Lake located 230 miles from the volcano, haven't been affected and everything stay normal.

    Notice the volcano is still in eruption!! Launching thousand of tons of ashes every day, wind is a major factor as is now taking ashes far away from Yelcho Lake, however this can change in any moment.

    I will go back to the area first week of June, will send you a fresh report when I came back.


    May 15, Marcel Sijnesael, Patagonian BaseCamp

    You know, I see all those images on T.V. and internet, just like you. To me those just seem from a foreign country, far away from me. But of course I know that all this is happening at 150 kilometers from here. It is weird to be so close while here nothing is going on. All seems perfectly normal: no ashes, clear rivers and clear skies (at least until the rains started a few days ago).

    It is truly a God's blessing for us that the winds have been blowing the ashes to the east and across the Andes. Our rivers and lakes have not been polluted by any ashes at all. Now it is just waiting for the moment that either the volcano resumes its 9,000-year sleep or that it explodes. Either way we will not be affected by this. And it is not very likely that the wind will turn to the north either. The forecast for the coming week is even talking about southern and eastern winds. We are safe here.

    I am not sure what is exactly happening more to the north of us now. I saw on T.V. that Chaitén is covered with water from a flooded river. I have also seen images of the Yelcho River system and the waters seem to be pretty dirty with the ashes, but I have no idea of the direct effects on the fish there. It has been raining a lot lately and the rivers and the lake it selves has a lot of water and I can only presume that with those rains all is cleaning up now.

    At this moment it is too early to know what will happen to the evacuated people and the village of Chaitén. For our operation, however, I don't see any consequences of what happened so far. Let's hope that it will soon be over and that the people can resume their normal lives and all will be forgotten.
    May 13, Harry Briscoe

    Hello Friends -
    We've been keeping up with the events surrounding the eruption of the Chaiten volcano and its affects on our friends and favorite places there.

    Thought you might enjoy this slide show from my friend Alfredo Zubiri, who owns the El Aura Lodge up on Lago Verde in the mountains behind (west of) Esquel. He's also a good friend on Jim Repine.

    This is the best slide show so far of the volcano and the towns surrounding. As most of you know, Esquel is about 100 miles pretty much due east of Chaiten and right in the wind path ..... Futaleufu is in between the two.



    May 13, Stephen Selway, Puma Fishing

    Our manager had to move on Wednesday when the military made him leave. Nobody is allowed in the area right now. Prevailing winds moved most of ash south now to Esquel, Argentina. About 12 - 15 inches of ash have accumulated in some areas. 8 - 10 in others. The lodge is closer to the eruption, but because the ash goes up and is carried away not as much has fallen on Rio Yelcho and our area.

    One good thing is our new floating lodge is still in Puerto Montt. We were within two days of bringing it over when the eruption occurred. Ironically, construction of the floating lodge was delayed, but that kept it is out of harm's way.

    All our staff had to leave. I don't have anyone in the immediate area. We are waiting to go back in. The big concern is the livestock: 15,000 head of cattle, 1,000 horses and 12,000 to 15,000 sheep. Chaiten has been completely evacuated.

    The big concern is what the glacier is doing. We'll have to wait and see the pattern of eruptions and what happens. The concern now is that the volcano's dome may collapse, which would lead to large explosion. But there are other volcano experts who say that is not likely.

    I am hopeful that the fish are in good shape. It is winter there, and the lake is very deep, so the fish should be deep. But nobody really knows. I'm researching what happened to the fisheries that were near Mount St. Helen. Only one watershed had a big fish kill due to hot melted ice and mud entering the watershed. None of the waters from the volcano flow into Rio Yelcho. But some other waters, Lago Negro, Lago Blanco and estuary near ocean in Rio Blanco, are in an area that could potentially could be affected for fishing.

    The volcano is spewing more ash now, rather than lava flow. There's a little bit of lava around edges but not running down the volcano. National Geographic's web site, and Jack Trout's blog at www.mtshasta.com has lots of pictures and news.

    Nobody is allowed in the area now. At Puerto Cardinas the road is closed and blocked off for about a 50 kilometer radius. Authorities have forcibly evacuated everyone from the area.

    It all depends on what the volcano does. We are watching closely. There is no damage at lodge from the mini earthquakes created by the volcano earlier this week.

    Anglers may want to wait and see before making an decisions, although I have already returned several deposits. Only one group has cancelled, but I think it's too early to tell right now. I would be surprised if Yelcho Lake has a large fish kill, unless of course the volcano actually explodes.


    May 12, Alfredo Zubiri, El Aura Lodge

    Dear friends:
    As you know, the Chaitén Volcano is active since May 2. As a result of this, a huge mass of ashes has been thrown to the air and is affecting mainly some towns in the south of Chile and Esquel in Argentina.

    The National Park, as it is protected by the mountains and it is northeast while the common winds are west, is not suffering the same these other towns are. Nevertheless, there are ashes in the air and on the ground. We expect for it not to damage the environment of the park, not our beloved trees and trout.

    We keep on working with the passion of always and we are building three New cabins, will send you a progress report soon.


    May 11, Marcel Sijnesael, Patagonia BaseCamp

    The volcano is still spewing ashes, but here we wake up at another clear day. I see all those images on T.V. and internet and to me those just seem images from a foreign country, far away from me. All is happening at 150 kilometers from here. And here nothing is going on. All seems perfectly normal: no ashes, crystal clear rivers and clear skies. Now it is just waiting for the moment that either the volcano resumes its 9000 year sleep or that it explodes. In either case, we won't be affected.


    May 11, 2008, Pat Pendergast, The Fly Shop

    So far the drifting ash is not affecting any of our Chilean lodges. I understand that Esquel, Argentina, is being hammered by the ash! See this Reuters article:

    Patagonia Fears Environmental Damage From Volcano http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN11453175

    (Pat Pendergast was instrumental in getting initial reports from operators on May 8.)


    May 8, Monte Becker, Patagonia Drifters

    Location: 45°18'19.72"S ? 72°20'45.83"W
    Distance & Location from Volcano: 171 miles, south (as a crow flies)

    The rivers are all fine here. It is some 200 km north as the crow flies from my most northern waters (headwaters of the Mañihuales and the most northern part of the Aisen River watershed) to the areas being affected by the ash fallout. Chaiten, Futaleufu, and across the boarder are getting hit pretty hard and it is already evident from the evening news that many people are going to loose there livelihoods. Prevailing winds in this part of the country are from west to east and there is virtually no chance of ash making it down south, especially this far. This is going to really hit a lot of folks hard and is a harsh reminder how fast things can go wrong. My condolences go out to all affected.


    May 8, Erica Gorrono, El Saltamontes

    Location: 45°10'8.87"S ? 71°53'23.07"W
    Distance & Location from Volcano: 160 miles, south east (as a crow flies)

    What precarious little bubbles our lives are, when the world throws these hiccups and shakes our existence. Our friend Marcial Pablo, who has a farm in Futaleufu, also reports that river to be heavily polluted as well as Lake Yelcho. Isla Monita may be in dire straits. El Gato and our river systems are significantly south of all of this activity and it does not appear that the eruption could affect our area....at this stage. Our farm manager reports everything completely normal. I think you can give assurances of "business as usual" from the El Saltamontes quarter.


    May 8, Rex and Maike Bryngelson, La Posada de los Farios

    Location: 44°42'57.54"S ? 72° 4'43.69"W
    Distance & Location from Volcano: 129 miles, east, southeast (as a crow flies)

    There is no indication of there being any problem on the Cisnes. They must be getting it confused with the Futa where things are looking pretty grim. I have heard that up to 30cm of ash has blanketed the area and they are likely to get more. I will be up at the lodge next week and I will give you a report but, I'm pretty certain there is no problem there.


    May 8, 2008, Marcel and Carolina Sijnesael, Patagonian BaseCamp

    Location: 43°47'23.91"S ? 72°21'1.56"W
    Distance & Location from Volcano: 75 miles south east (as a crow flies)

    Just this morning a friend of mine who lives close to Chaitén came here. He brought me the latest news. The whole village and a circle of 30 kilometers around the volcano are evacuated. The volcano still is only erupting ashes, no lava comes out yet. The experts though are afraid that the huge "mushroom" of ashes might collapse and destroy everything around the crater. The ashes reach temperatures of 400 degrees Celsius. This can happen in a question of minutes. The wind is blowing the ashes now in to a north-eastern direction, so into the direction of Esquel and Bariloche. Even as far as the Atlantic Ocean. Futaleufu received a lot of ashes over the past days, but is clear now. The rivers around Chaitén and Futaleufu are heavily polluted. I am not sure what that means for aquatic life, but I guess it is not good. We have seen nothing here and all our rivers run clear. The Palena, in front of the lodge, has a complete normal color. Just like nothing is happening.

    The situation obviously is worrying. I really feel very sorry for the people from Chaitén and Futaleufu. Most likely they will or have lost all they worked for their whole life. But, again, here all is fine. Nothing to worry about.

    All depending of what will happen over the coming days and weeks we might have to decide to have our guests flown in and out of La Junta or Lago Verde next year. This will actually change nothing for them as I will arrange for the charter flight out of Puerto Montt.

    Of course I am monitoring the situation as well as I can and I will keep you informed on anything serious.


    May 7, 2008
    From: Angling Report correspondent Kurt Iverson


    Article: Chile Volcano Blasts Ash 20 Miles High, Forcing Evacuations

    Link: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080507/D90GHEFO0.html

    This eruption occurred in one of Chile's most productive and well-used fishing areas. The area hit hardest is from the village of Chaiten on the coast, to Futaleufu near the Argentine border. It contains the famous Futaleufu-Lago Yelcho-Rio Yelcho drainage. There are a number of lodges and outfitters there: Isla Monita Lodge; Martin Pescador Lodge; Puma Lodge and Yacht (regular advertisers in the Angling Report); Chaiten Lodge; Futaleufu Lodge - plus many individual outfitters.

    The area also includes the area of Pumalin Park, a huge tract of land purchased by Douglas Tompkins (Esprit clothing), and turned into a nature preserve.
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