“Marine heatwave” in the Mediterranean, “underwater fires”: “no impact” for the Thau lagoon

La canicule inquiète pour ses conséquences sur la biodiversité de l’étang. Midi Libre – PHILIPPE MALRIC

Rising temperatures are a cause for concern for biodiversity in the Mediterranean. On the Thau lagoon, vigilance is required, but the climate parameters seem more favourable.

While the water in the Mediterranean Sea is over 30°C, rising temperatures are a cause for concern for marine flora and fauna in the medium and long term. Claire Nouvian, founder and director of the NGO Bloom, which works for marine conservation, warns of the consequences of an abnormal marine heatwave. “We have seen for several years that water temperatures are between 3 and 4°C above the normal average, she explains, interviewed by RTL. The Mediterranean basin is warming 20% ​​faster than other bodies of water on Earth."

Threats to shellfish farming

Claire Nouvian, who talks about "underwater fires", warns of the irreversible consequences for biodiversity, taking the Thau basin as an example. "It's also proliferations of jellyfish, toxic algae, it poses problems for human activities, such as shellfish farming. We saw this at the Thau lagoon, where thousands of jobs are affected."

"The parameters are much more favorable"

Asked about the threat this season to shellfish production in the Thau basin, the president of the Mediterranean Regional Shellfish Farming Committee, Patrice Lafont, nevertheless wanted to be reassuring. "Does global warming worry us ? Yes. We are working closely with Ifremer on the subject. This year, however, the climatic parameters are much more favorable. There will be no impact, the indicators are green. Neither toxic algae, which are natural, nor jellyfish, will disrupt the production and quality of shellfish.”