The State has just launched a call for tenders to try to find a solution for collecting green algae at sea.
The strandings were very important last year, especially in the bay of Saint-Brieuc, where several mudflats and rocky beaches cannot be "cleaned".
This new experiment was made possible by the allocation of new financial credits within the framework of a new control plan.
“We are able to go to the moon, but we still collect algae with a tractor and a trailer, like our grandparents”.
This sentence uttered several times by the mayor of Hillion Mickaël Cosson sums up well the helplessness of the elected officials of the bay of Saint-Brieuc in the face of the invasion of which they are victims each year.
Overwhelmed by green algae, this territory of the Côtes d'Armor has been calling for new means of collection for years to try to deal with the scourge.
Before the summer, 90% of the strandings in Brittany had occurred in this shallow and closed bay, where the Ulva like to proliferate so much.
It seems that their request has finally been heard.
This Monday, March 7, the State launched a call for tenders for an experiment in the collection of green algae at sea, as revealed by
Le Télégramme
.
Interested companies have only one month to apply, with the closing of the call scheduled for April 6.
“We had this idea in mind for some time.
The dynamics of the new plan to combat green algae (PLAV) offers us increased budgets which allow us to launch this experiment,” explains Etienne Guillet.
Appointed high-level expert "Water, green algae and agro-ecological transition", the sub-prefect hopes that the first launches can take place "during the summer".
The stakes are immense for Brittany.
Because this winter, the quantities of algae still present on the beaches and at the edge of the water are colossal, making communities fear the worst.
To justify the relaunch of this experiment, the State explains that it was becoming urgent to treat the areas where tractors cannot venture.
“Mudflats, beaches with lots of rocks.
In all these places, we could not pick up, ”explains Etienne Guillet.
In Hillion, the Hôtellerie beach is one of them.
And it has been closed for eight months by municipal decree (a record), in particular because of hydrogen sulphide emissions generated by rotting algae.
Trials conducted but inconclusive
Several attempts to collect at sea had been carried out for twenty years but none had really given satisfaction.
In 2006, a report from the Center for the Study and Valorization of Algae (CEVA) leaned towards a collection solution in the small waves located at the edge.
A technique that avoids accumulating too much sand.
But that presents quite a technical challenge.
How to bring a boat by sea capable of navigating and loading tons of seaweed in 30 to 40 centimeters of water.
"We leave the door open to all solutions", assures Etienne Guillet, specifying that the chosen process will have to "preserve the natural environment".
The challenge is great.
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