The harvesting of oysters and all shellfish is prohibited between Reville and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, announced the Manche prefecture on Saturday December 30. Analyzes carried out on farmed oysters confirm the presence of norovirus, responsible for acute gastroenteritis, also present in Gironde and Calvados.
The harvesting and marketing of all shellfish is temporarily prohibited on part of the Channel coast, between Reville and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, the department prefecture informed Saturday December 30, 2023.
The area affected by the ban extends from Pointe de Fouly, to Reville, to the La Hougue lighthouse.
⚠️Analyzes carried out on farmed oysters confirm the presence of norovirus in the St Vaast La Hougue health zone (zone no. 50-07). The symptoms linked to norovirus are those of acute gastroenteritis; no serious cases have been reported to date.
See press release 👇 pic.twitter.com/B0wygCJnmr— Prefect of Manche 🇫🇷 (@Prefecture50) December 29, 2023
“Analyzes carried out on farmed oysters confirm the presence of norovirus in the sanitary zone from Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue“, reports the Manche prefecture. Norovirus causes food poisoning in the form of acute gastroenteritis, including certain cases “collectives” have been brought to the attention of the health security services, reports the prefecture. However, no serious cases have been reported.
Recreational shellfish fishing is also prohibited. The measure “will be lifted as soon as the health quality of the shellfish becomes fully satisfactory again“, indicates the prefecture.
Oyster farming activities must therefore cease in this coastal area of the Channel, as has already been the case for a week in the Arcachon basin, in Gironde, and certain sectors of Calvados, also affected by norovirus.
Oyster farming companies achieve up to half of their turnover during the fortnight around Christmas. “This is a time not to be missed“, mentioned just before Christmas Stéphane Typhaigne, oyster farmer from Calvados, at the microphone of France 3 Normandie.
Oyster farmers therefore fear an economic disaster for their farms and are calling on the government for help. “J‘expect in particular from Hervé Berville, Secretary of State for the Sea, rapid, clear and precise responses to the requests of oyster farmers“, declared Saturday December 30 Hervé Morin, president of the Normandy Region, in a press release.
“The Region will encourage and support communities to make the necessary investments in sanitation.“, also informs the press release.