Shellfish and oysters from across the basinArcachon are now authorized for consumption, fishing and marketing, indicate the prefecture of Gironde Friday June 12.
In mid-May, the prefecture had prohibits the consumption of shellfish and oysters from the Arcachon basin because of the presence of “lipophilic toxins”, which can cause gastric upset. An alga is at the origin of this seasonal contamination.
The prefectural authorities had lifted last week the ban for the inner part of the basin but it remained valid for “the bank of Arguin and the passes”, that is to say the large sandbar at the sea entrance of the basin and the arms of the sea connecting the ocean to the basin.
The analyzes carried out by the monitoring network of the French research institute for the exploitation of the sea (Ifremer) carried out this week demonstrated “Good sanitary quality” shells from across the basin, said the prefecture.
Seasonal contamination
The shellfish of the Arcachon basin and those of the Pertuis d’Antioche (strait between the islands of Ré and Oléron) have regularly faced consumption bans in recent years, in the middle of spring.
The contamination is due to toxins linked to a microalgae ingested by shellfish. It is a natural and seasonal phenomenon that is associated with rapid warming of the water.
It obliges certain farmers to build protected stocks of oysters in parks where the waters are healthy in order to maintain their activity.
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