An environmental protection association filed a complaint Thursday evening for pollution and endangering others after the ban on the sale of oysters from the Arcachon Bay, affirming that “many knew”, since November, that they were contaminated but turned a blind eye.
“If we had forbidden them to sell their oysters at Christmas, they would have set them on fire”
The production of local oyster farmers was banned from sale on December 27 by the prefecture of Gironde, a few days before New Year’s Eve. “If they had been forbidden to sell their oysters at Christmas, they would have set them on fire,” estimates Jacques Storelli, president of the Environmental Coordination of the Arcachon Basin (Ceba), who filed a complaint.
According to professionals, Christmas represents around two thirds of oyster sales made during the end-of-year holidays, a good time for the industry. “The compromise therefore consisted of ‘saving’ Christmas,” adds the association manager. “It’s a little scandal what happened.”
A “disaster predicted”
In its complaint against Arcachon bay.
In question ? The wastewater sanitation network, managed by Siba (Intercommunal Union of the Arcachon Basin), whose skills also relate to the management of rainwater. It “is in principle designed to avoid any discharge into the Basin”, underlines Ceba, however mentioning “malfunctions” and overflows during heavy rains such as have fallen in recent months.
“These incidents occur regularly and predictably. The most shocking thing is that they often lead to poisonings which could be avoided,” insists the association, calling for the adoption of a “proactive approach, by informing the population of potential risks and preventive measures to follow. “Nothing happened before December 27, when many ‘knew'”, asserts Ceba in its complaint, regretting that the “precautionary principle” was not observed “from November” on the environmental level and sanitary. Asked by AFP, Siba and the prefecture did not immediately respond.