The prefecture on Friday maintained the ban on scallop fishing on the Charente-Maritime coast due to the presence of a toxin.
This ban "
cannot be lifted for the moment
" because "
the results of official controls confirm once again that the level of ASP toxins (Amnesic Shellfish Poison), which can cause neurological disorders, is above the regulatory threshold of 20 mg / kg of flesh,
”said the prefecture in a statement after a meeting between representatives of local fishermen and the Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea (DDTM).
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In the morning, between "
15 and 20
fishing
boats
" had blocked "
for three hours
" the entrance to the commercial port of La Rochelle to "
call the public authorities
", but without obstructing traffic since no vessel entered or out at that time, Romuald Coutanceau, member of the local Fisheries Committee, told AFP. During the meeting, in the afternoon, Romuald Coutanceau and the fishermen requested the reopening of the activity on the basis of analysis results carried out by a laboratory in Nantes, more favorable than those of the official laboratory according to them. .
But only the results of regulatory monitoring can "
be taken into account to assess the sanitary quality of shellfish
", reminded them the prefecture.
However, it has now been decided to carry out more frequent (“
two per week
”) and more numerous (“
doubling of samples
”)
official controls
.
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The scallop season in Les Pertuis, an area between the Charente islands and the coast, could not start as planned at the beginning of November due to an excessively high level of ASP, a toxin that can cause in humans headaches, loss of balance, or visual disturbances.
According to Romuald Coutanceau, this activity, which usually lasts until the end of December, represents on average "
between a third and a quarter of the annual turnover
" of the fifty boats which practice it in Charente-Maritime.
"
We have already lost five weeks and in the best case, we will only fish (the shell) for two weeks,
" he lamented.
A new meeting is scheduled for December 13 between professionals and DDTM, according to the prefecture.
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