Marine molluscs - oysters, mussels, cockles or clams - are studied, analyzed and monitored there for the benefit of consumers and professionals.
Ifremer, the French research institute for the exploitation of the sea, has just inaugurated the renovation and expansion works of its resort at La Tremblade, in Charente-Maritime.
This work, amounting to 2.7 million euros financed by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and Ifremer, made it possible to modernize the laboratories and equipment of this site dedicated to aquaculture.
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The ancestor of the resort of La Tremblade, founded a stone's throw away in 1918, already had the mission of controlling the salubrity of molluscs.
Nearly sixty employees work there on genetics, health and even bivalve breeding methods.
"We can sequence the genome of a virus in a few hours," explains Isabelle Arzul, head of a research unit dedicated to marine invertebrates.
This site includes 1,500 m² of experimental infrastructure and 1,600 m² of settling ponds supplemented by clearings and concessions on the foreshore.
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A hatchery also makes it possible to produce juvenile oysters and mussels to better study their resistance to diseases, their growth and even the color of their flesh or shell. Lastly, the latest developments make it possible to ensure stable water quality and the treatment of all discharges. "The area is completely confined, the effluents are treated to achieve zero discharge", assures Christophe Stavrakakis, head of the experimental unit.
The know-how of this station has thus enabled two of its laboratories to become national and European references for diseases of marine molluscs and bivalves.
“These renovations were important for securing the facilities, the ability to experiment with scenarios in various environments and to attract French and foreign researchers,” says Ifremer President François Houllier.
