Le Figaro Bordeaux
Eight leeks, two liters of wine, an onion, two cloves, garlic, thyme, bay leaf... and a live lamprey ready to be cooked Bordeaux style. In the small Gironde village of Sainte-Terre, the self-proclaimed capital of lamprey, the recipe is passed down from generation to generation. To the point of being, for more than 30 years, the keystone of the festival which brings together
“all the living forces of the community’s associations”
. But no lamprey, no party. This year, the celebrations which were to be held on April 26, 27 and 28 are canceled. And for good reason: since April 2023, the suspension of lamprey fishing in the Gironde and the Dordogne has prevented the dish from being found at a decent price. Impossible to put it in your mouth.
“Without a meal, the festival would not have had the same flavor
,” explains the organizing committee of the 33rd edition of the Sainte-Terre lamprey festival. Ready to fall back on eels,
“a beautiful dish”
which is close to their traditional dish, the organizers were unable to order the 100 kilos of fish necessary for the celebrations.
“It may seem paradoxical, but originally we wanted to keep the festival to explain the situation of the lamprey in Gironde
,” explains the president of the committee, Patrice Laguillon.
“Sainte-Terre, which is a fishing village, was self-proclaimed the lamprey capital by our former mayor, Guy Marty. Here, we love this fish which makes the market gardener work as hard for his leeks as the wine grower.”
Contacted by
Le Figaro
, the former village councilor refused to speak.
Brotherhood of the Lamprey
So for this Gironde region hanging on its emblem to the point of having a lamprey brotherhood – made up of 17 members –
“the frustration”
is immense.
“In 2010,
Alain Juppé
, who was mayor of Bordeaux, was inducted by our honorary grand master, Jacqueline Rabic
(decorated with the Order of Maritime Merit, Editor's note)
. She devoted her life to the defense of the lamprey and, at the time, she was already sounding the alarm: the problem is not fishing, it is catfish,”
laments Joël Duporges, the president of The brotherhood. For these enthusiasts, the catfish - which abounds in the Garonne - is a real predator of lampreys.
An argument far from sufficient for the association for the Defense of Aquatic Environments, at the origin of this ban on lamprey fishing, which has already obtained four legal victories in this regard. While waiting for the case to be judged on the merits, Sainte-Terre is fretting.
“Since last year, every time I speak it is with concern for our situation. A torment shared by the protectors of the traditions of other brotherhoods such as woodpigeon hunters or fat duck producers,”
concludes Joël Duporges.