The still high tide and sand cover the installations and complicate the harvest, just before the end-of-year celebrations. “As many as 3,000 companies may have been affected along the Atlantic and Channel coasts,” it said. Before Ciarán there was also Céline and immediately after that Domingos.
France is the most important oyster supplier in Europe. It produces 81,000 tons of oysters annually, good for a turnover of more than 400 million euros.
After the storm, a race against time begins for oyster growers. The key is to salvage the cultivation installations as quickly as possible and save as many oysters as possible, says Gal. Because if the oysters become flooded, become sanded or silt up, they are in danger of dying. “A month before the end-of-year festivities, things are looking really bad.”
WATCH ALSO. Jellyfish wash up in Ostend after storm Ciarán, seals can also be seen