A deeply divisive industrial project has cleared its final regulatory hurdle. French authorities in the Gironde department have officially authorized the construction of a massive land-based salmon farm, an unprecedented facility in the country, igniting a firestorm of reaction from environmental groups and local stakeholders.
A Strictly Regulated Industrial Conversion
In its official press release, the prefecture defended the authorization by highlighting several points of public interest. These include “the reconversion of an industrial-port wasteland, the creation of 250 direct jobs, and the domestic production of the fish most consumed by the French, which is currently 99% imported.” The facility is designed to produce 10,000 tonnes of salmon annually.
Environmental Backlash and a Call for a Moratorium
The approval follows a favorable opinion issued in July by the Departmental Council for the Environment and Sanitary and Technological Risks, which echoed a prior positive assessment from a public inquiry commission. The prefecture insists the authorization is “accompanied by particularly demanding environmental prescriptions that will govern both the construction phase and the operation of the installation.”
This green light comes despite mounting political and ecological opposition. A bill supported by around one hundred deputies, tabled in March 2025 but not yet debated in the National Assembly, calls for a ten-year moratorium on such salmon factory farms. In a joint “Appeal for the Ocean,”27 NGOs denounced the project as “completely disproportionate,” warning that sludge discharges would threaten the ecosystem of Europe’s largest and wildest estuary, to the detriment of fishing and shellfish farming.
A Government Divided on the Megaproject
Pure Salmon maintains that its “proven technology” guarantees “a controlled impact on biodiversity,” insisting that “animal welfare is at the heart of the project” and that its supply chain adheres to “strict standards,” ensuring a “responsible and traceable” diet for the fish.
The project has also exposed divisions within the French government itself. The Minister for Ecological Transition, Monique Barbut, voiced her personal opposition during a Senate hearing in April. Conversely, the Minister Delegate for Industry, Sébastien Martin, offered his support during a visit to Gironde in June, stating, “As long as the project respects our framework, and I believe it does, is no reason for it not to go ahead.”
