“Even if I had to stop marketing them, I will continue to breed them,” assures David Hervé, operator of the Cabanon de l’huître in Saint-Just-Luzac, in the heart of the Marennes-Oléron basin (Charente-Maritime).
For this oyster farmer, the Imperial prawns introduced into his claires – the shallow basins in which the oysters turn green and take on flavor – are precious allies.
“It is obviously out of the question to treat our clears with chemicals.
Shrimp feed in particular on small worms and, by searching for them, they create a screen that prevents the photosynthesis of certain invasive plants.
They are the only way we have found to properly maintain the marsh,” explains the specialist.
Their movements lead to a resuspension of the phytoplankton, which benefits the oysters.
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In the department of Charente-Maritime, it is estimated that around fifty oyster farmers raise these crustaceans alongside their oysters.
25 are grouped together within the Association of Imperial Shrimp Producers from the Charentais Marshes (ACRIMA), committed to a quality approach and technically supervised by the Regional Aquaculture Experimentation and Application Center (CREAA).
The Japanese buy it alive
Since 2003, they have been playing the extensive farming card – less than 10 prawns/m2, 4 to 5 on average – with specifications to be respected imposing, among other things, the sale of a live product, with a minimum weight of 20 grams.
At David Hervé, the prawns arrive in May from the nearby Mornac-sur-Seudre hatchery, where they are "the size of a beard's hair".
From mid-July, they can be tasted, until the beginning of autumn.
The imperial prawn from the Charentais marshes is marketed live from July until the beginning of autumn.
The tiger adornment and the colorful tail of these ladies of the marshes attract the locals of course, but well beyond.
Its taste characteristics are particularly appreciated in Japan, where they originate.
“For four to five years, we have experienced a boom in this market.
We have become more competitive.
I sell them to retailers in Charente-Maritime, but also in Rungis because the Asian market is substantial.
The difficulty we encounter is the fragility of the product because it must be sold alive.
Customers work a lot on a pre-order system, ”explains the oyster farmer, who presented his activity on Tuesday August 30 during an inspection by the Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP) on his farm.
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About 3 tons of Imperial marsh prawns come out of its clearings each year, caught in the early morning using a Vietnamese fyke net, a collapsible net.
"They represent only 4% of my turnover, but it is interesting in terms of the image and maintenance of the marsh", specifies David Hervé.
In terms of prices, the average ex-producer price is around 25 euros per kilo, according to ACRIMA.
Its 25 members market around 60 tonnes of this species a year, which has been able to adapt perfectly to the Charente salt marshes.
Including with the hot weather this summer.
