Gironde Approves Major Salmon Farm Despite Environmental Concerns

Le Verdon-sur-Mer – 05 August 2026: The French state has approved the construction of a major salmon farm in Le Verdon-sur-Mer, in the north of the Gironde department. Backed by Saumon du Médoc and the Pure Salmon group, the project is intended to produce up to 10,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon annually in a land-based recirculating aquaculture system. This would make it one of the largest facilities of its kind in France. The site is located on the Gironde estuary opposite Royan.

The decision was preceded by a public consultation process that ran from 15 December 2025 to 19 January 2026. The inquiry commission had given the project its general approval in March. The review focused primarily on the environmental permit for the aquaculture operation, classified as an industrial facility, water-law issues and the building permit. The project was then considered by the relevant environmental and health council.

Economically, the facility targets a significant supply gap. According to information from the approval process, France imports around 99 percent of the salmon consumed there. With per-capita consumption of almost four kilograms a year, salmon is among the country’s most sought-after seafood products. Fresh fish, smoked salmon and processed products have long shifted what was once largely seasonal consumption into everyday grocery retail.

The standardization of supply contributes to this trend. Farmed salmon is available year-round in consistent quantities, can be easily marketed as fillets or smoked products, and is seen by many households as a convenient source of protein. The European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture lists salmon alongside cod, Alaska pollock and skipjack tuna among the most important fish species on the French market.

Supporters expect the project to create shorter supply chains and more domestic value creation. Pure Salmon plans integrated production ranging from hatching the fish to processing them on site. The recirculating technology is intended to reuse a large share of the water used and to distinguish the operation from open-net sea cages.

However, the technical approach has not resolved the objections. Environmental groups, scientists and parts of the local opposition point to groundwater requirements, electricity consumption and the possible discharge of nutrients and wastewater into an ecologically sensitive area. The reliability of the water balance was also questioned during the inquiry process. The approval is therefore subject to environmental and water-law conditions.

The project brings together two conflicting objectives of French food policy: the government wants to reduce dependence on fish imports, while at the same time having to protect waterways, coastal areas and biodiversity. A fishing ban remains in force in the Gironde basin because of the sharp decline in wild salmon stocks.