It is officially lifted this Friday from 9 a.m. The ban on the sale and consumption of oysters from the Arcachon basin is no longer in force, after the norovirus crisis which affected them just after Christmas. The end of the tunnel for the 300 oyster farmers in the basin.
“On the unanimous opinion of the departmental health commission which he chaired today, the prefect of Gironde Étienne Guyot decided after observing a period of 28 days prescribed by national health instructions, to lift the temporary ban on fishing and marketing activity intended for human consumption of all shellfish from the Arcachon basin from Friday January 19, the prefecture announced Thursday evening. This measure also concerns recreational shellfish fishing. »
“No new contaminating events”
“This excellent news announces the expected return of Arcachon-Cap Ferret oysters to the huts and on the sales stalls,” rejoice the oyster farmers in a press release. “Consumers, traders and restaurateurs are invited to show their support for the profession by coming to enjoy or purchase” Arcachon oysters.
Fishing and marketing activity was banned by decree of December 27, following an episode of several collective food poisoning infections (Tiac). Since December 22, 2023, the date of the last oyster harvest at the origin of one of the collective food poisoning infections brought to the attention of the services in charge of health security, “no new contaminating event has been recorded on shellfish from the Arcachon basin” assures the prefecture.
“Increased monitoring of bacteriological water quality”
The results of the analyzes of regular microbiological monitoring, carried out last week and then this week on all monitoring points in the Arcachon basin for oysters and clams, “are also satisfactory. » No malfunction in the sanitation network has been recorded since December 22 by Siba (Intercommunal Union of the Arcachon Basin).
The prefect, however, decided “to increase monitoring of the bacteriological quality of water and shellfish by ensuring weekly samples instead of monthly samples until the end of winter. »
In Arcachon, one of the main oyster production areas in the country with some 8,000 tonnes per year (nearly 10% of the oysters supplied), losses are estimated at 5 million euros by oyster farmers.