Below the Grandcamp-Mesy fish market, logos and several stands highlight the star of the sector: oysters from the Bay of Wey, harvested a few kilometers to the east. The parks are located at the mouth of an estuary, watered by four rivers, on the border of Calvados and the English Channel. The Ifremer study examined this environment and its oyster farming activities (as well as those of Marenne-Oléron and the Thau Lagoon) to understand its evolution in the face of crises from 1970 to 2018.
The scientists’ work has particular resonance because Gefosse-Fontenay parks in the Bay of Vey were subject to a marketing ban at the height of their sales peak at the end of December last year. This is not the first strong blow. “The issue of water quality is important here,” asks Aline Gunnery, a marine ecology researcher and one of the coordinators of the Ifremer project. “The site was used for oyster farming, although it was not suitable for this from a health point of view,” adds his colleague Remy Mongruel, a researcher at the Department of Marine Economics. Proof of this: Weiss Bay was declared unsanitary in 1971, when oyster farming began.
There is agriculture, septic tanks, pollution all around…
Last winter’s outbreak of norovirus, a virus that causes gastroenteritis, served as a reminder of the vulnerability of a region with “advantages among disadvantages.” There are large inflows of water that bring their share of problems,” the researchers say. In Grandcamp-Mesy, Joelle is an oyster lover who is aware of this reality: “The water comes from afar with the rivers. There is agriculture, septic tanks, pollution… It’s hard to know what to do. Ifremer also studied the opinion of the local population by looking at press clippings: “Since 2008 and the sharp episode of mortality of juvenile oysters, there is a feeling of constant crisis in the activity,” describes Remy Mongruel.
During the latest marketing ban crisis, professionals expressed concern and some irritation. “We are wondering if there is something to hide,” Thierry Elie, the president of the regional shellfish farming committee, even wondered about the water quality. The Normandy region has even called for efforts to improve sewerage in the upper river.
In his research, Ifremer notes a 1977 Vir decree that states river water must be compatible with oyster farming. “The establishment of mandatory health classifications in the 1990s and vulnerability profiles of shellfish farming areas in 2015 were important steps,” the scientists note. However, “experts understand that relatively new water management agencies in watersheds will be difficult to influence, especially if they lack support.”
In this context, the issue of trust developed by producers becomes increasingly relevant. Despite the obstacles, the industry needs consumers to remain loyal to oysters. In Weiss Bay, shellfish cleaning is mandatory and requires strict and regular monitoring. Efforts that extend to the shelves. Frank has a base in Bessen and admits that he has been “buying local oysters for 30 years with complete confidence. Manufacturers have been based there for many years. They know their job. I came to the site and visited the plant. We are calmed by purity and seriousness. »
Positive signs in the sky for a profession that nevertheless struggles to clear away all the clouds, in addition to water quality: labor shortages, the impossibility of switching to organics, the difficult transition of farms… “There are questions about the identity of the profession,” confirms Remy Mongruel. The sector meets demand but struggles to maintain social fabric. The profession is ambivalent about its future. »
The fact remains that Weiss Bay is showing encouraging signs, as Aline Gunnery says: “Global warming has not yet affected the water temperature. We also see that we have limited the contribution of the watershed (and therefore the contribution of the rivers). The presence of E. coli bacteria does not increase, and the amount of some chemicals decreases. »
If upstream water management efforts and oyster mortality studies provide good answers in the coming years, the sector will get a breath of fresh air in Weiss Bay. It wouldn’t be a luxury. Even if their work is not in question, oyster farmers still have marketing restrictions hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles. A sword that stings treasures…
Source: Le Parisien
I am John Casanova. I am an author at 24 news recorder and mostly cover economy news. I have a great interest in the stock market and have been writing about it for many years. I am also interested in real estate and have written several articles on the subject. I am a very experienced investor and have a lot of knowledge to share with others.
