Dead fish “in quantity” found in the water. An investigation is underway in Seine-et-Marne to determine the origin of sugar pollution in a portion of the Loing canal, where a large number of fish have died from asphyxiation since October 26, 2024, we learned. 'AFP this Monday, November 4 with the authorities.
According to the secretary general of the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne, Sébastien Lime, the pollution which affects the canal between Souppes-sur-Loing and Bagneaux-sur-Loing is linked to the presence of sugar. “The analyzes demonstrated the presence of sucrose in the water. But investigations have not yet been able to establish where it comes from.said Sébastien Lime.
Previous sugar pollution in 2019
The services of the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the Inspection of Classified Facilities have reviewed “all industrial facilities nearby”indicated Sébastien Lime. “The various administrative inspections have not yet made it possible to identify the source”he stressed.
Read also: Environment. An ecocide: pollution of the Scheldt river, in 2020, by the sugar giant Tereos
According to the website of the Bureau for the Analysis of Industrial Risks and Pollution (Barpi), a “pollution of a watercourse by a sugar factory” had been referenced in November 2019 in Seine-et-Marne, further north, in Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne. At the time, this pollution came from “from a sugar refinery located upstream”, “following a crack on a dike in the skimming basin”.
“An investigation is underway”confirmed to theAFP the Fontainebleau public prosecutor's office, which does not wish to communicate further.
The Seine-et-Marne Fishing Federation will file a complaint
As of October 26, operations had been carried out to remove dead fish from the canal bed and preserve the fish still alive. And the authorities are gradually emptying the reaches (parts of the canal between two locks) concerned. “Carp, perch, pike, eels, catfish, roach, catfish… A very large number of fish died”notes the president of the Seine-et-Marne federation for fishing and the protection of the aquatic environment, Philippe Gavelle, joined by theAFP.
Picked up by association volunteers, fishermen or local residents, they were placed in skips. But the federation prefers to wait before assessing the extent of this mortality because “a certain quantity of dead fish remains at the bottom”. “There were local fishermen crying on the first day”related Philippe Gavelle, evoking their pleasure of fishing but also their concern to protect the aquatic environment. The federation “will quickly file a complaint”he said, for “prevent the recurrence of such events”.
