A tough business – The oyster farmers of Arcachon | DW Documentary
Oysters have been farmed in the southwest of France for over a century. But the business is becoming increasingly difficult. Climate change and growing tourism are taking a toll on water quality, which puts great economic strain on the growers.
Frédéric and Luca Simon have taken over a traditional oyster-farming business. They sell their oysters at local markets and directly from their hut in Andernos-les-Bains. But oyster farming is hard work, and so far they’ve barely made a profit. They plan to bring in additional income by opening their own restaurant. Axel Boudard has been thinking about profitability for some time. He’s a newcomer to the oyster-farming community, and focuses primarily on marketing and social media, which hasn’t gone down well with many of the established local farmers.
Behind the idyllic scenes of waterside oyster huts, tensions are simmering. In addition to competition between growers, there’s another problem: oyster theft has been on the rise for years, often on a large scale. That’s why Jérôme Goussard from the maritime police regularly patrols Arcachon bay, checking boats that aren’t from the region, and even the oyster farmers themselves. After all, the thieves don’t always come from elsewhere – sometimes the farmers steal from each other.
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Video “A tough business – The oyster farmers of Arcachon | DW Documentary” was uploaded on 05/13/2025 by DW Documentary Youtube channel.