It is a very supervised fishery, of a protected species. In Plogoff, in Finistère, the gendarmes arrested three suspected poachers who were carrying around 200 kg of barnacles in the trunk of their vehicle. According to the police, the fishing was fresh and had been carried out in the Plogoff sector.
Audierne’s gendarmerie had spotted the vehicle, which had refused to submit to a road check on the night of August 14 to 15. Inside the car, two men of Spanish origin and a Moldovan national were arrested. The market value of 200 kg of barnacles is estimated at 17,000 euros. The goods, like the vehicle, were seized thanks to the support of the La-Forêt-Fouesnant Nautical Brigade and Maritime Affairs.
Long overfished, barnacles have a slow growth and high ecological demands, which make the resource scarce. Very popular in Spain and Portugal, the species can be sold for up to 250 euros per kilo. In Finistère as in all of Brittany, fishing is limited to 3 kg per person. It is currently prohibited, according to information from the Recreational Shore Fishing site.