Les peintures marines antisalissures et leur impact sur l'ostréiculture

On 17 January 1982, the Minister of the Environment issued a decree limiting the use of anti-fouling paints that have organostannic derivatives for boats of less than 25 metres in length. This decision, taken after advice from the Commission for Assessing the Ecotoxicity of Chemical Substances, was meant to protect oyster-farming against the serious pollution linked to the growing use of this type of paint. These provisions, adopted only a few months after the harmful effects of organo-tins were brought to light, made it possible to protect oyster farming in some endangered areas. Moreover, they brought on an international awareness of the ecological risks linked to the struggle against marine biological fouling.