The mayor of Bagneaux-sur-Loing suspects “industrial pollution” and intends to file a complaint against X. The losses could represent several tonnes of fish.
An investigation is underway in Seine-et-Marne to determine the origin of sugar pollution in a portion of the Loing canal, where a very large number of fish have died from asphyxiation since October 25, he said. we learned from the authorities on Monday. “Analyzes demonstrated the presence of sucrose in the water. But investigations have not yet been able to establish where it comes from.told AFP the secretary general of the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne, Sébastien Lime, referring to the pollution of the canal between Souppes-sur-Loing and Bagneaux-sur-Loing.
Since then, the services of the French Office for Biodiversity and the Inspection of Classified Facilities have reviewed “all industrial facilities nearby”according to Mr. Lime. But “the various administrative inspections have not yet made it possible to identify the source” pollution, he stressed.
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”only confirmed the Fontainebleau public prosecutor's office, which did not wish to communicate further.
Suspicion of “industrial pollution”
The mayor of Bagneaux-sur-Loing, Claude Jamet, 82, explained to AFP that he had raised the alarm “the morning of Friday October 25”after seeing “big fish looking for oxygen and dead fish on the surface”. “And now, there are tons of dead fish, including carp over 20 years old and weighing over 20 kilos, which we will never see again in the canal”insists the councilor, who says he suspects “industrial pollution” and intends to file a complaint against X.
From October 26, operations were carried out to remove dead fish from the canal bed and preserve the fish still alive. Now, a gradual emptying of the reaches (parts of the canal between two locks) concerned is underway, which must be spread over 25 days, according to the prefecture. “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, contacted by AFP. 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 Mr. 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”.
