Contrary to the most of sea products, glass eel is a stage of eel always sold alive. The gap between the fishing period and the first sale requires a really specific storage. Usually glass eels are sold straight after fishing to the fish wholesaler, which sometimes does not give value to the fish.

That is why OP Estuaires works since several years to develop a storage centre network to control the amount of glass eels on the market, to ensure traceability and to propose viable glass eels (skimming of injured glass eels, transition to fresh water …) meeting to the market’s needs and the regulatory standards.

Thus was born a first collective storage centre for glass eels in Pays de la Loire in 2017, the SAS Estuaires in Cordemais. Then, in 2019 and 2020, SAS Côtes Vendéennes in Beauvoir sur Mer and SAS La Gillocrucienne in Saint Gilles Croix de Vie were created. These storage centres ensure the purchase and sale of the production of around forty OP' fishermen in total and also can benefit to the other members of the OP Estuaires who can sell part of their fish there according to the centres demand.

– 2,8 ton of glass eels storage capacity
– Structures with zoo-sanitary approval and respecting the SEG certification conditions.
– We work with an approved transport company for transport of live fish, using a cooling operator vehicule.

Since 2018,OP Estuaires participe aux projets de repeuplement français via ses centres de stockage. Au total, c’est plus de 4 300 kg qui ont été repeuplés avec le concours de l’OP.