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Local 'shuckers' for oysters will be disappointed to find the shellfish delicacy off the menu on their next daytrip to France due to contamination believed to be caused by human waste being dumped in the sea.
French authorities have banned the fishing and selling of oysters in the bay around Mont-Saint-Michel and other coastal areas of Brittany until further notice after norovirus - a winter vomiting bug - was discovered in stocks across seven zones.
The ban is the fifth to be announced in the country since mid-December, disrupting the French tradition of consuming seafood over the festive period.
But it's also bad luck for Channel Islanders, for many of whom a 'fruits de mer' platter has become a traditional element of the Saint Malo daytrip experience.
Pictured: For many islanders, a daytrip to France is seen as an opportunity to try the traditional fruits de mer platter.
One islander told Express that her husband became ill in December after consuming oysters in Saint Malo.
In total, around 150 of a total of 330 oysters farms in the South Brittany region have been affected, according to the regional shellfish committee, the CRC, which is pinning the blame on sewage issues in the area.
Its President, Philippe Le Gal, commented: “The gastroenteritis phenomenon has been around since Christmas. The sewage isn’t always properly treated by the purification plants and the virus ends up in the sea, especially after the rains we have had.”
Oyster farmers have now launched a petition demanding "immediate action" in dealing with what they describe as an "ecological emergency" as well as compensation.
Pictured: Saint Malo.
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