France: Resistance Against Intensive Fish Farming

The planned construction of three RAS salmon farms (Recirculating Aquaculture System) in France has triggered significant resistance.

Welfarm has launched a campaign to stop the construction of these hyper-intensive facilities and has collected nearly 60’000 signatures from French citizens.

The three RAS projects currently under review are located in Plouisy, Verdon-sur-Mer and Boulogne-sur-Mer, and are being driven by Smart Salmon, Pure Salmon and Local Ocean respectively. Each of these projects faces fierce opposition from local communities, which have been mobilising against the farming operations for several years.Welfarm has joined forces with these groups and supports their efforts to raise awareness and organise protests.

Welfarm argues that the farms, which could already be operational in 2024, would cause significant animal suffering and pose environmental risks:

Extreme stocking densities: To ensure economic viability, RAS farms often operate at extremely high stocking densities, which deprive fish of the space they need and lead to stress and poor animal welfare conditions.

Risk of mass die-offs: The survival of salmon is highly dependent on the continuous functioning of complex systems. Every year, several mass die-offs are reported in the media, in which hundreds of thousands of fish often perish.

Harsh living conditions: The closed environment of RAS can lead to difficulties in maintaining water quality and controlling pathogens, posing additional risks to the health and welfare of the fish.

Incompatible feed: As carnivores, salmon require a diet containing fishmeal and fish oil derived from millions of wild-caught fish. This practice, known as reduction fisheries, is criticized not only for its negative impact on fish welfare, but also for its detrimental effects on marine ecosystems and its implications for social justice. RAS farms require the most resource-intensive forms of feed.

In light of these concerns, Welfarm, together with the French marine conservation NGO Seastemik, is advocating for a moratorium on new fish, crustacean, and cephalopod farms where the entire rearing phase takes place in RAS systems. A ban on such farms would promote animal welfare and help align French aquaculture with the country's goals regardingsustainable development and climate change.

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