Prefecture approves controversial salmon farm in Gironde

Le Verdon-sur-Mer – 05.08.2026: The Gironde Prefecture has approved Pure Salmon’s project for a large-scale industrial salmon farm in Le Verdon-sur-Mer. The facility is to be built in the port and industrial zone at the mouth of the Gironde. According to project documents, it is intended to produce up to 10,000 tonnes of salmon per year on land. This would make it one of the largest planned facilities of its kind in France.

The decision was preceded by a multi-stage administrative procedure. A public inquiry was held from 15 December 2025 to 19 January 2026. It covered the environmental authorisation for a regulated industrial facility, the water permit and the building permit. In March, the inquiry commission issued a positive opinion. However, this was advisory only and did not predetermine the prefecture’s decision.

The project is being led by Saumon du Médoc, a Pure Salmon France company. A closed land-based recirculating system is planned, in which the fish are to be raised and ultimately processed. Such facilities are intended to treat and reuse a large proportion of the water used. Pure Salmon expects this to provide controllable production conditions and strengthen the supply of the French market from domestic production.

The approval does not end the dispute over the project. Environmental groups, local initiatives, scientists and elected representatives have spoken out against it. Their objections concern in particular water demand, the treatment and discharge of wastewater, and the substantial energy consumption of the technical recirculating system. There are also concerns about possible consequences for the Gironde estuary. The site is located near ecologically sensitive areas in the northern Médoc.

Expert bodies had also identified issues requiring clarification. In its opinion, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional environmental authority identified several points that should be specified during the approval process. The Scientific Council of the Gironde Estuary also examined the use of water resources and the planned discharges. Environmental organisations continue to consider the safeguards inadequate. This reflects the assessment of the project’s opponents, not a finding by the approval authority.

For Pure Salmon, the decision now creates the legal basis for preparing the next phases of the project. The available information does not indicate what specific conditions the prefecture attached to its approval or whether opponents will pursue legal action. The procedure explicitly distinguished between industrial, water and construction law; accordingly, individual administrative requirements may continue to be relevant to practical implementation.