- The surveillance carried out by Ifremer notably revealed that 78% of the shellfish production areas monitored still show high levels of bacteria.
- According to Ifremer, nearly 7% of metropolitan coastal waters have not yet returned to good ecological status for eutrophication (accumulation of nutrients, especially from agricultural fertilizers and development of microalgae) set by the Strategy for the marine environment (DCSMM).
"For thirty years that we have been monitoring the coastline, the situation has tended to improve, but there are particular points of vigilance and considerable room for improvement". The words are signed by the CEO of Ifremer, François Houllier. And say a lot about the progress that remains to be made to preserve the French coastal environment. For the institute, the state of the marine environment "improves regularly" but "continues to suffer, especially from the consequences of human activities".
The surveillance carried out by Ifremer revealed in particular that 78% of the shellfish production areas monitored still have high levels of bacteria of the Escherichia coli type, forcing professionals to purify them in treated water before offering them to the consumption. This bacterium, very present in the human intestinal flora, pours into sea water. Treatment plants and sanitation networks are often singled out.
"If the public authorities have already made efforts on sanitation facilities, improvements are still possible in terms of microbiological contamination."
🎙️ Philippe Riou, director of Dep. Oceanography and Dynamics of Ecosystems, Ifremer pic.twitter.com/zJVeqKchUj
Escherichia coli is not the only problem that the French coast will have to deal with. According to Ifremer, nearly 7% of metropolitan coastal waters have not yet returned to good ecological status for eutrophication (accumulation of nutrients, especially from agricultural fertilizers and development of microalgae) set by the Strategy for the marine environment (DCSMM). This is particularly the case in the English Channel and in Brittany. "Improving the situation also requires working with professionals and all stakeholders," said Philippe Riou, director of the oceanography and ecosystem dynamics department at the institute.
The “vigilance points” on chemical contamination are concentrated around large areas of port or maritime activity, Seine bay, Brest, mouth of the Gironde, Toulon.
The closed factory, less polluted Loire water
The sources of these often old contaminations have in general been identified and treated and the levels drop regularly, as in the Loire estuary, where lead contamination dropped sharply following the closure of the responsible factory after the ban on leaded petrol in 2000.
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- Littoral
- E. coli bacteria
- Pollution
- Sea
- Reindeer
- Ifremer
- Nantes
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