Produits de la mer - n°181 - Avril 2018 - 108

Special feature ❘ WHELK

Pêcherie de Normandie, voices a more finely-shaded point of view: "Granville is declining as a reference, for lack of sufficient supply. I buy from all areas and I can observe an
alignment between the rates of West and
East Cotentin."
The fact remains that the Granville fish
auction periodically attracts the whelk supply from Saint-Malo, Saint-Brieuc or Baie
de Seine, especially in January when the
western Cotentin auction was closed.
Which allows business to be maintained
and the fish market to be supplied.
The whelk is obviously gaining in
value every year. "From 15 to 25 centimes per year in recent years," observes
Philippe Robiolle, manager of the fish auction. "The range is between 1.80 and
2.50 euros per kg. The whelks with a lot
of parasites go down to 1.30 euro." The
2018 season has already started at above
2 euros. "It was bound to rise as the boats
are subject to quotas. Their profitability
depends on it and the processing companies need the fishermen," emphasizes
Pascal Lecardonnel. Especially when there
is a strong competition for the purchase.
"The pressure from chief buyers is confirmed by the upward trend of the rates,"
points out Christina Cholon, co-manager of
GC Crustacés at Saint-Malo.
The strong demand for processing companies linked to the massification of orders
of ready-to-eat whelks is fuelling the rise.
The other demand comes from Asia, which
purchases very large volumes in Europe.
Yves Bertin, manager of Granvilmer, even
points out the risk of "shortage for the
whelk processing activity in France. Some
traders even come directly to France to
buy whelks for Asia. A telling fact is that
the large whelk intended for meat and
exported to China or Korea reaches the
same price as the normal sizes sold cooked
whole in France." At GS Normandie,
Yoann Guérin anticipates difficulties as
summer approaches: "Not all the processing companies will have completed their
stocks by June." ■

moyen de Granville pour
payer nos bulotiers », ajoute
Pascal Lecardonnel. L'avis
de Damien Levallois, responsable de Nouvelle Pêcherie
de Normandie, est plus nuancé :
« Granville est de moins en moins
la référence, faute de volumes suffisants. J'achète partout et il y a un alignement entre les cours de l'ouest et de l'est
Cotentin. »
Reste que la criée granvillaise attire
périodiquement du bulot malouin, briochin ou de baie de Seine, particulièrement
en janvier, lors de la fermeture de l'ouest
Cotentin. Ce qui permet de maintenir l'activité pour alimenter le marché du frais.
Fait incontournable, le bulot prend de la
valeur chaque année. « De 15 à 25 centimes par an ces dernières années, observe
Philippe Robiolle, directeur de la criée.
La fourchette se situant entre 1,80 et
2,50 €/kg. Les plus parasités descendent à
1,30 euro. » La saison 2018 a déjà démarré
au-dessus de 2 euros. « Il fallait que ça
monte dès lors que les bateaux sont soumis à quotas. Leur rentabilité en dépend
et les transformateurs ont besoin des
pêcheurs », souligne Pascal Lecardonnel.
Surtout quand se fait sentir la concurrence
à l'achat. « La pression des gros opérateurs
se confirme avec la montée des cours »,
signale Christina Cholon, codirigeante de
GC Crustacés à Saint-Malo.
La forte demande des cuiseurs liée à la
massification des commandes de bulot
prêt à consommer alimente la hausse.
L'autre demande vient d'Asie, qui capte
des volumes très importants en Europe.
Yves Bertin, directeur de Granvilmer,
pointe même le risque « de pénurie pour
la cuisson en France. Des traders viennent
acheter directement du bulot en France
pour l'Asie. Élément révélateur, le gros
bulot destiné à la chair exportée en Chine
ou en Corée arrive au même prix que les
tailles normales vendues cuites entières
en France ». Chez GS Normandie, Yoann
Guérin prévoit des difficultés à l'approche
de l'été : « Tous les cuiseurs n'auront pas
fait leurs stocks en juin. » ■

❘ 108 ❘ PRODUITS DE LA MER N°181 AVRIL 2018

L.F.

***

Saint-Vaast opt for the colder waters of
the Channel beyond the quota zones,"
confirms Damien Levallois, manager of the
Nouvelle Pêcherie de Normandie.
The increasing pressure on fishing
except in the West of Cotentin is boosting
national production, with the risk of overfishing near the coasts. "Sooner or later,
the resource will have to be preserved, as
in Granville," reckons Pascal Lecardonnel,
commercial manager at Kermarée.
Especially in a market largely dominated
by mutual agreement: only 5,300 tons
were sold in fish auctions during 2017,
while production estimates vary between
15,000 and 16,000 tons. Although nothing is entirely set, "marketing is structured in Port-en-Bessin, in Grandcamp,
with a classification according to parasite infection," observes Arnauld Manner.
At Erquy, the supply recorded by the fish
market, but not necessarily sold under
auctions increased by 35% last year reaching almost 1,000 tons. At Dieppe, auction
sales exceeded the 300-ton mark.
With around fifty buyers focussed on the
whelk, including a dozen large companies
among which two are Dutch, the auction of
Granville serves as a reference for the market. "It sets the price," said Yoann Guerin
of GS Normandie. At Kermarée, "we take
the average rate at Granville to pay our fishermen," adds Pascal Lecardonnel. However,
Damien Levallois, head of the Nouvelle

Inhabitants of cold waters

stimates of European production are uncertain given the very wide distribution of the gastropod. There are also fisheries in North America and even in Siberia. In Europe, Russia,
Norway and Denmark have a small-scale production of whelk. On an altogether different scale
from the United Kingdom, leading producer in Europe with 22,700 tons in 2016. France ranks
second with 14,600 tons, followed by Ireland around 3,000 tons.
Sources: Marine Institute (Ireland), Marine Management Organization (UK)

Table des matières de la publication Produits de la mer - n°181 - Avril 2018