Breton Oysters Hit By Oil

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31343, 13 April 1967, Page 13

Breton Oysters Hit By Oil

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) SAINT BRIEUC (France), April 12. French fishermen yesterday started to move millions of young oysters from hundreds of acres of beds threatened by oil from the sunken tanker Torrey Canyon.

The oysters were being taken by lorry from the north coast of Brittany on the English Channel to the southern shore facing the Atlantic.

Some 2600 acres of oyster cultivation beds were reported contaminated and ruined in the estuary of the river Jaudy. Oil from the tanker continued to sweep along the north-west French coast yesterday and by late morning a slick several inches deep was reported to have fouled a 90mile stretch of Brittany’s channel coast from Tregastel to Erquy.

A large fleet of French Navy and fishing vessels was spreading tons of sawdust and powdered volcanic ash on the oil in an attempt to make it coagulate into lumps and so make it easier to burn or scoop up.

But the oil, driven by a strong north-east wind and by currents, was steadily moving west along the jagged coast-

line, contaminating international beach holiday resorts. During the night oil virtually surrounded Rouzic Island off the Brittany coast, which is the home of 30,000 sea birds and which has been under official protection for the last 55 years. Eye-witnesses returning from the sanctuary said it was almost impossible to do anything to save the birds, which include rare Solan geese and torrock as well as sea-mews, puffins and penguins. A state of emergency, declared in the Cote du Nord department of Brittany, was extended yesterday to the Finistere department as the oil spread westwards.