New farming techniques are not always popular

A shellfish farmer in this part of north Brittany would like to do more for the environment with his mussel cultivation. But persuading his fellow farmers is not easy.

Shellfish farms are familyrun businesses in Brittany and Le Panier Iodé in Planguenoual is no exception. Anthony Juin, the current owner, is the third generation in his family to run the company his grandfather started in the 60s. When he took over in 2017 Mr Juin expanded into new activities including a shop and a restaurant, which offered ways to add more value to his product.

Horse-drawn carriages replaced by boats

The mussels are farmed in a bay where the difference between high and low tides is 12 m. Rivers bring their load of nutrients to the bay so that the tides and the nutrients provide the conditions that mussels need to thrive. The nutrients encourage the growth of the phytoplankton on which the mussels feed, while the tidal movement of the water forces the mussels to open and close. The farming of mussels is done the traditional way with posts (bouchot), but in other ways it has changed. In the past, Mr Juin says, the farmer had to go out to the posts with a horse and carriage to harvest, now boats are used. This development has also enabled the bouchots to be placed further out to sea.

At Le Panier Iodé the juvenile mussels are obtained from hatcheries in the south of Brittany and are placed in the water for 12-18 months before they are harvested. Although Mr Juin is permitted to place 180 posts in a line, he has opted to use only 140 to reduce the density and encourage the mussels to grow better. With 156 lines each 100 m in length annual production amounts to 800 tonnes on average. In 2022 predation and hot weather reduced the yield, however, to about 600 tonnes. Over the last few years the company’s focus shifted to quality over quantity and to diversification. Launching a shop and a restaurant would secure jobs even if bad weather or pollution reduced the production. For example, the Grade A classification of the production area became B last year following the release of pollution from a nearby camping site. The downgrade makes no difference to the product quality at all, Mr Juin hastens to add, because the bivalves are depurated in any case. But it illustrates that factors outside our control can sometimes affect the production.

Anthony Juin (right) the owner of the company Le Panier Iodé which is involved in mussel farming and in running a seafood restaurant and a shellfish shop. To the left is an employee who interpreted between French and English.

Strict EU rules govern health and safety of water

The classification into Grades A, B, or C is determined by the concentration of E. coli in the mussel flesh. Below 230 cfu (colony forming units) of E. coli per 100 g qualifies as Grade A and the mussels can be sold for direct human consumption. Below 4,600 cfu ranks as Grade B and the mussels must be depurated, relayed, or heat treated before being sold for human consumption. Below 46,000 cfu counts as Grade C and the mussels must be relayed for at least two months or heat treated before being put on the market. If the concentration exceeds 46,000 cfu the mussels cannot be harvested for human consumption. The producer may determine the time the mussels spend in depuration, but the state monitors the production taking samples frequently and checking the bacterial concentration. Depurating the mussels in tanks full of clean sea water removes the sand and grit they may have picked up if the sea is rough. If a risk exists then the water undergoes treatment with ozone or ultraviolet light to purify it before it goes to the tanks. Toxic algae do not pose a threat in this area (north Brittany), Mr Juin says, though in southern Brittany toxic blooms occur occasionally.

Of the 14 producers in the bay, Mr Juin and another producer constitute the only two who would like to see some changes in the practice of mussel production. The introduction of bioplastics, for example. Currently the use of conventional plastics dominates mussel farming, because of the material’s resilience. We would like to use sustainable plastic but cannot risk it disintegrating before we harvest the mussels, states Mr Juin. Another way to greater sustainability involves lowering the density of the posts and placing them further offshore, but we need to convince the other producers of the benefits of these ideas, he says. Reducing density should reduce mortality, and by moving them offshore they will spend a longer time in the water which fosters growth. Bouchot mussels produced in the area enjoy a reputation for their taste though they rarely measure more than 4-5 cm. If we can maintain the taste yet increase the size of the mussels by shifting the cultivation further into the water, we may be able to increase the price, Mr Juin thinks. His customers may disagree though. They include small businesses, restaurants, delicatessen shops, and wholesalers in Brittany. The latter distribute the product to other parts of France. Brittany attracts a lot of tourists in summer when the population can increase 10-fold, but after October there is no one left so sales dwindle to almost nothing leaving the shop and the restaurant to generate the income.

Mussel sales slow in winter, but work on the farm continues apace

But the work continues in the winter months. Replacing the nets on the posts takes up a large part of the winter. Another task comprises washing off the organisms that grow on the mussel shells, repairing damaged or broken posts, and maintaining or servicing the equipment in the factory. Apart from carrying out these chores, staff also need rest to recover from the gruelling summer period and to prepare for the start of the next season. The

Le Panier Iodé

46 route de Jospinet Armor, Lamballe 22400 Planguenoual France

Tel.: +33 2 9632 7499 contact@lepanieriode.com lepanieriode.com work is demanding and someone hoping to enter the mussel farming business must either possess the necessary academic qualifications or hold 280 hours of farming experience. Acquiring a concession however is very difficult as new concessions do not exist and old ones come on the market only rarely. Over the last years Mr Juin managed to acquire three concessions and so could expand his production but being a farmer from the area he keeps himself informed about developments in the sector and makes a note of sites that may come up for sale.

Owner: Anthony Juin

Activity: Mussel farming, seafood restaurant, shop selling seafood

Production: 800 tonnes

Employees: 15