To imagine what the future mega-farm of the Verdon might look like, you have to set sail, heading for the nearby former industrial port. It’s Tony Garaud, a fisherman from the village who takes us on his boat. Esther Dufaure and Mélanie Gaillard, two activists from the collective “No to the Pure Salmon project”, accompany us. The website “represents an equivalence of 8 football fields, and in terms of volume, 80 Olympic swimming pools“, specifies Mélanie Gaillard.
On land, in sheds, the company Pure Salmon hopes to raise 2 million salmon here every year, 10,000 tons of fish. The project provides for around sixty pools, 24 of which are 25 meters in diameter and 7 meters high. Part of the waste water from the farm, after being treated, will be discharged into the estuary. Where Tony Garaud sets his nets. The fisherman fears that the ecosystem will be modified. “This year, we fished meager close to there. If they reject water completely at a different temperature, the lean is going to be lost. And it may be a species that we will see disappear“, dreads Tony Garaud. Another problem raised by the opponents: the pumping of water in the soil to supply the basins. According to a document from the local water commission, dating from last July, and which we were able to consult , Pure Salmon planned to draw at a rate of 50 m3/hour from the brackish water table below the site.An operating flow greater than 10 m3/h appears impossible”, specifies this commission made up of elected officials and local technicians. Result: “incompatible” project as it stands. A setback that has not discouraged the company Pure Salmon: it intends to drill new holes to find the necessary water. Environmental risks, weaknesses pointed out by the authorities, Xavier Govare disputes them. The general manager of Pure Salmon France prefers to emphasize the economic contribution of his farm. Eventually, 250 jobs could be created on the site where he intends to produce 5 percent of the salmon consumed in France. “We would like to go as soon as possiblehe says. France’s national independence in salmon food is absolutely ridiculous. Today, we import 100% of the salmon into our country, 200,000 tonnes each year.“, he points out.
It’s not a project that is in the world of tomorrow. It is a vision that aims to always consume more and produce more for investors.
Christine Seguineau, elected ecologist
Feeding the world is the declared ambition of Pure Salmon. “Our technologies make it possible to produce delicious and healthy salmon”, launches a voiceover in one of the promotional videos that the company published in 2020. A group that wants to build other farms in Asia, in Japan or here in the United States, where gigantic works have already begun in the State of Virginia. Sometimes disputed projects, as in Boulogne sur mer, last year, where Pure Salmon also wanted to set up. In the Pas-de-Calais, the site ultimately did not see the light of day for environmental reasons. In New Aquitaine, some elected officials mention an industrial ambition that they consider disproportionate. “It’s not a project that is in the world of tomorrowsays Christine Seguineau, elected from the Solidarity and Citizen Ecologist group, on the New Aquitaine regional council. It is a vision that aims to always consume and produce more for investorsTo reassure on the viability of its project, Pure Salmon will conduct new environmental studies. If they are conclusive, the company intends to sell its first salmon in 2026.
Among our sources (non-exhaustive list):
Opinion of the Hauts-de-France regional environmental authority mission on the Pure Salmon project in Pas-de-Calais
France Bleu article on the opponents of the Pure Salmon project
Pure Salmon project video in the United States