Prefecture approves controversial salmon farm in Gironde

Le Verdon-sur-Mer – 05.08.2026: The Gironde Prefecture has approved the controversial Pure Salmon project. A land-based facility for the breeding, slaughtering and processing of Atlantic salmon is to be built at the port of Le Verdon-sur-Mer. Franceinfo reported on the decision on 4 August. It was preceded by a multi-stage administrative procedure involving a public inquiry and expert opinions.

The facility is planned for the site of the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux at the Gironde estuary. According to the documents, up to 10,000 tonnes of salmon are to be produced there each year. The fish would be kept in a land-based recirculating system, while slaughtering and processing are also to take place on site. The regional environmental assessment authority described the scale as exceptional for France.

The public inquiry ran from 15 December 2025 to 19 January 2026. At the end of March, its report was submitted to the Prefecture and made available in the affected municipalities of Le Verdon-sur-Mer and Soulac-sur-Mer. The inquiry commission supported the project subject to conditions. In July, according to participants, the advisory environmental and risk body CODERST issued a positive opinion.

Local residents, environmental associations and animal welfare organisations have opposed the project for months. They warn of possible impacts on groundwater and coastal waters, problems with sludge treatment, high energy demand and the dense stocking of fish. In January, LPO Aquitaine pointed to risks for ecosystems and drinking water resources. After the inquiry concluded, WWF France criticised what it saw as insufficient consideration of numerous objections submitted by members of the public.

The approval therefore does not end the conflict. Administrative decisions may be subject to judicial review if individuals or organisations with standing challenge them within the applicable deadline. As of 5 August, no specific legal actions had initially been publicly confirmed. However, the decision provides the project company with the legal basis to continue its planning. The Prefecture did not initially specify a binding date for construction to begin.

In its assessment, the environmental authority had focused primarily on the consequences for water, wastewater and the natural environment, and had requested additions. The recirculating system differs from open net pens at sea: it limits direct exchange with natural waters, but does not eliminate questions concerning water extraction, wastewater treatment and energy supply.

With the prefectural decision, the largest salmon-farming facility of this type planned in France to date has cleared a key administrative hurdle. It is to be built in an already industrialised port area near the Gironde estuary. Its implementation remains subject to the conditions of the approval and inspections by the responsible state authorities.