Brittany's mussel farms ravaged by surging spider crab invasion

Amanda Morrow
·1-min read

Mussel farmers in northern France are grappling with a deepening crisis as spider crabs devastate their crops. A prized marine resource themselves, the crustaceans have become relentless predators of mussels and other shellfish – threatening the future of the industry.

In the gulf between Brittany and Normandy, the spider crab population has exploded fourfold over the past decade. They’re fished year-round these days, no longer just from early autumn to early spring.

This season, farmers in the bays of Saint-Brieuc and Fresnaye, on Brittany’s picturesque northern coast, were alarmed to discover the spider crabs had eaten most of their crop.

It’s a problem that has persisted for years but which the regional mussel farmers union says is now untenable. Local businesses are reporting losses of millions of euros and calling on the authorities for urgent help.

Sought-after molluscs

The shallow bays, fed by nutrient-rich waters from the Atlantic, have for generations supported France’s treasured bouchot mussel industry: mussels grown on vertical wooden stakes that are submerged during high tide and exposed at low tide.

Their unique cultivation method provides a distinct tender texture and sweet taste that distinguishes bouchots, introduced to Brittany in the 1960s, from other varieties of mussels.

Serrandour's family business, Les Merveilles du Cap, has been growing bouchot mussels and hollow oysters in the Bay of Fresnaye for four generations.


Read more on RFI English

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