WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2018 13 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 14) European coastline. Closely related variants have been detected from mortality events of Pacific oysters in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, posing a serious challenge for oyster production around the world (Pernet et al. 2016). French shellfish production is governed by the National Shellfish Committee (CNC — Comité National de la Conchyliculture) and its seven regional organisations — the Comités Régionaux de la Conchyliculture (CRC). Fish Production According to FEAP production data, the French fish farming sector declined from 2007 (50,191 t) to 2013 (40,705 t) but has increased in recent years (45,095 in 2015). France specialises in freshwater production of mainly rainbow trout, with portion-size and large trout, and common carp. There are about 500 production sites managed by approximately 300 commercial enterprises (Agreste Census 2007). The French regions of New Aquitaine, Hauts de France and Brittany account for 70 percent of national production. France is the third largest producer of freshwater trout in Europe with nearly 38,714 t produced in 2016. Rainbow trout production is 96 percent of the national salmonid production. Other species include fario or brown trout, brook trout or fountain salmon, and Arctic charr. Trout is one of the top five fish regularly purchased by French consumers. About 72 percent of salmonid production is for direct consumption and 28 percent is dedicated to restock rivers, recreational fishing and trading. Approximately 50 national processors offer a wide range of trout value-added products, with very large trout mainly smoked, big trout offered as fillets or slices, and portion-size fish mainly sold fresh and gutted. Other products include trout roe and raw fish for sashimi, tartar or carpaccio. Caviar production from reared Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii is about 27 t, which places France among the leading producing countries in the world with Italy (but behind China). The sturgeon sector is made up of ten companies spread over 18 production sites. Sturgeon meat represents 306 t. Although France is a European pioneer in the breeding of marine species (i.e. seabass, sea bream, turbot, sole), thanks to control of reproduction, larval rearing and feeding of fish, it produces only 4,821 tons of market-size marine fish. Six species dominated this sector, with production in 2016 of 1,928 t of sea bass, 1,671 t of sea bream, 288 t of turbot, 236 t of meagre, 450 t of salmon and 248 t of sole. Some 113 million fry are produced in French hatcheries, with 90 percent of these exported to other Mediterranean countries for on-growing. L’Aquatourisme — a New Way to Discover French Freshwater Fish Farms The French Interprofessional Committee for Aquaculture Products has developed a new aquaculture tourism portal based on the idea that fish farmers are eager to share their knowhow and allow members of the general public to visit their farms. It gives people the chance to have a good day out and learn more about how fish are farmed. Visits are often combined with fishing possibilities and direct sales of aquaculture products. The interactive map on the portal allows people to select a region of town and see all the farms in that area, so as to be able to contact them and arrange a visit. Microalgae — A Growing Sector In its 2014 national report (Brinker and Sternberg 2014), the EU Project EnAlgae and the national study carried out on behalf of ADEME (Kerlero de Rosbo and Bernard 2014) identified more than 200 private companies and about 30 academic institutions working with macroalgae and microalgae. The use of microalgae and macroalgae is very evenly distributed among French stakeholders (38 percent are working with microalgae and 38 percent are working with macroalgae). Nearly a quarter of all stakeholders (23 percent) are cultivating and processing both algae types (23 percent of the industrial stakeholders and 27 percent of research institutions). Based on the EnAlgae report, TABLE 1. Aquaculture in France is dominated by shellfish production, especially of cupped oysters and mussels. (Production figures for 2015-2016 in t.) Cupped Stake mussels Other Flat Cockles Region oysters (bouchot) mussels oysters and clams Total Normandie – 25,000 21,000 700 350 47,050 Mer du Nord Bretagne Nord 21,551 17,494 908 14 39,967 Bretagne Sur 11,000 3,500 200 17,100 Pays de la Loire 8,000 10,000 2,400 20,400 Poitou-Charentes 4,400 4,000 1,200 49,200 Arcachon-Aquitaine 8,000 8,000 Méditerranée 7,600 30,000 37,600 TOTAL 125,151 87,894 31,900 1,108 2,764 216,917
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