Pascal Guilbert defends his mussel-farming project off Omaha Beach

After the closing of the public inquiry on May 7, the marine aquaculture project in Vierville-sur-Mer continued to arouse opposition from French or foreign residents and correspondents, especially across the Atlantic. The municipal councils of Vierville, Trévières, Louvières and Colleville-sur-Mer had issued an unfavourable opinion.

The fisherman Pascal Guilbert, at the origin of the project, believed that it had been misunderstood or interpreted. He defended an installation that, according to him, could be an asset for the region. After submitting his idea to Maritime Affairs and Ifremer, he said he had obtained confirmation of its viability. He advanced a possible production of 40,000 tons of mussels per year at the Omaha site.

He specified that the cultivation was planned offshore and not on the beach, only buoys should be visible near the submerged remains of the Landing. His objective was not limited, he said, to the sale of mussels: he also wanted to protect the maritime resource and prevent boats from plundering the seabed. The caption of a photograph also highlights his criticism of pleasure fishing, associated with the presence of dozens of tractors on the beach.

Pascal Guilbert considered that some opponents invoked the memory of the soldiers who died in Omaha to challenge the project. At the end of the municipal opinions and observations collected during the investigation, the decision to authorize or refuse the installation was up to the prefect.

Reconstructed or uncertain passages:
- The capacity of 40,000 tonnes per year is the one announced in the cut; it remains an estimate attributed to the project promoter.

Archive image: https://vierville.cordelle.eu/Photos2008/2002-CultMarine-Aout2002AvisPetitionnnaire.jpg