They only go out to sea for an hour and a half a day and even then, not every day. And they don’t have to go very far. Since the opening of scallop fishing in October, scallop fishermen in the Bay of Seine have had rather peaceful days. A rare occurrence in this profession that we know is rough. Taking advantage of an exceptional deposit, sea professionals do not need to go very far from the coast to fulfill their quota for the day. And they are not alone. In neighboring Brittany, shell fishermen in the bays of Saint-Malo and Saint-Brieuc also benefit from the enormous stocks that line the seabed. Very present on market stalls, fishmongers and supermarkets, white flesh continues to appeal to regulars. But let’s be clear: it’s not easy to sell everything when the resource is so abundant.
They were hot, ready to send. In October, the shell fishermen of Côtes-d’Armor had to curb their enthusiasm. After unloading tons of scallops in the first days, the shipping companies had to face the facts: the buyers were not there. On the first day, 111 tonnes of shells were not sold. “Everyone left in full force, it was much too early,” says a regular. To regulate the market, the departmental fisheries committee immediately halved the authorized fishing time. A fine connoisseur of this market, Dimitri Rogoff has his own opinion on this failed launch. “It was still too hot in October. Shell is a product associated with autumn and winter. We see it as a party product, people didn’t want it yet,” said the president of the Normandy regional fisheries committee.
“It’s one of the only products that has not increased”
Its region alone supplies 70% of the fresh shells sold in France. Easy to fish, present in quantity, the sacred shell faces a major problem by remaining perceived as a luxury product. “You have to look at the prices. At the moment, we are between 3.50 and 4 euros per kilo for an ultra-fresh product. Don’t tell me it’s expensive. It’s one of the only products that hasn’t increased,” says Dimitri Rogoff. Knowing that we find six to seven nuts in a kilo, we can agree with the Norman fisherman, especially when we see the price of a slice of industrial white ham. The problem is that before eating a scallop, you have to prepare it, empty it, clean it, and get rid of the quickly smelling waste. Not everyone has the precise opening technique of Tomy, the diver whose bare torso caused panic on the Web. Like the artichoke which struggles to convince young people, the shell remains a product which appeals to regulars, those who know, those who love it.
In Brittany, most fishermen manage to sell their stocks every day, because the locals like it, because prices remain under control and do not (yet) exceed 4 euros per kilo. “Sales are at their best at the moment. I would even say that the quotas are a little low because we are asked for so much,” says Sylvain, a member of the Toutant shipping company, based in Cancale. “The boat brings in between 3.5 and 4 tonnes each week. And without problem, because the deposit is in great shape. But I’m broken every day! », Explains the one who is responsible for selling the shells to individuals. It is not impossible that the departmental fisheries committee decides to increase the famous quotas, even if the fear of unbalancing the market is very present. Because in Ille-et-Vilaine too, the start of the season was also sluggish.
Here as everywhere else in France, the problem is the same. The shell is abundant, it duplicates, it grows, it multiplies. “We are not going to complain about it, we should even be happy about it. We can be proud. Because the deposit is well managed and the fishing quotas are well set,” assures Dimitri Rogoff. According to him, it is the choice of a large size of the capture rings which allows a good selection. Sometimes criticized for scraping the bottom, drag fishing remains by far the most popular, far ahead of diving.
A deposit in full explosion which breaks record after record
But in the mouths of some, it is said that if the shell is so abundant, it is also because it thrives in the waters warmed by our climate which is going haywire. Difficult for the moment to prove it, even if the figures are there. In the Bay of Seine, 40,000 tonnes of shells are fished per year today, compared to 15,000 tonnes a little over ten years ago. We have even better. In the Bay of Saint-Brieuc, Ifremer’s estimate reached a record. “The total immediately exploitable biomass is an increase of 30% compared to the already exceptional year 2022”. The question is what to do with it.
Because beyond just individuals, the transformation market seems a little clogged. “Our processing tools have reached saturation point,” assures Philippe Orveillon, a former fisherman and diver who is now head of the Ille-et-Vilaine fisheries committee. “We must find other outlets, new customers if we want to continue to exploit the deposit.” The former fisherman boss also pleads to “find solutions to adapt the fishing tool” and limit its impact on the environment in order to convince new customers who are sometimes reluctant. “We regularly witness smear campaigns. But French fishing must serve as an example. Look at our English competitors. They come to fish with us with huge boats and very small mesh sizes. On board, they have Filipino fishermen who are paid with sticks. How do you want the resource to be preserved? », exclaims Dimitri Rogoff.
To save his fleet, the boss of Normandy fishing would like frozen food and prepared meal manufacturers to turn more towards French products, which they are not doing today. “Take a good look at where the frozen nuts in your supermarket come from and you’ll see.” Sitting on an immense treasure, French fishing wants to succeed in monetizing it. But without having it stolen. Nor make it an ashtray business.