Hundreds of conger eels are washing up on beaches for unknown reasons

Do you know what a conger eel looks like? Unless you have some knowledge of fishing, you probably don’t. So imagine a huge grey sea eel that can reach two metres in length. Add a few teeth and the look of a moray eel and you will understand why the animal is not necessarily popular. Often hidden in crevices, the conger eel is rarely visible. It is therefore with a certain stupor that the inhabitants and visitors of southern Finistère greet the recent strandings of these impressive fish. Because for several days, dead conger eels have been multiplying on the beaches of Concarneau, Fouesnant and more rarely in Bénodet and Loctudy. The mystery is complete. No one knows why the species succumbs to this strange massacre.

In Fouesnant, the technical teams are not stopping. In a few days, municipal agents have already collected more than 200 congers, we learned 20 Minutes with the municipality. With a charming, rugged coastline typical of Brittany, the Finistère municipality does not understand why these fish are arriving en masse on its beaches. “We have no explanation,” admits the town hall, specifying that the dead fish are sent to the knacker’s yard. The technical teams are trying to intervene as quickly as possible, the smell of these stranded fish being very unpleasant. “The smell is horrible,” a regular in the area tells a group of residents.

The town of Fouesnant is not the only one concerned. In Concarneau, the town hall has decided to close the Sables Blancs beach to limit the health risk. In Bénodet, the mayor specifies that only a few specimens have been removed.

Is it the fault of the high tides?

The question that arises is why we are facing such a phenomenon. Well, imagine that we don’t know. Some fishermen mention the recent high tides, during which these fish, accustomed to staying in their holes, end up suffocating. Samuel Iglesias, a researcher at the Concarneau marine station, also mentioned this possibility to our colleagues at France 3 Bretagne.

Others blame it on the recent water pollution observed in Concarneau, the presence of toxins or bacteria. Questioned by our colleagues, the specialist is more reserved. Because how can we explain that a virus only affects one species? Researchers from Ifremer have carried out measurements to try to unravel the mystery.