The sale by armement de pêche artisanale de Keroman (APAK) of seiner/trawler Marie Lou to armement coopératif vendéen (ACAV) is the first of a series of changes taking place in the Brittany port of Lorient, as Éric Guygniec and Xavier Le Floch are preparing to take leave of the company they set up in 2011 and which has become a major player in the port’s activities.
APAK is now about to go through a restructuring process as its founders retire. The company has operated half a dozen fishing vessels with around thirty crew and lands around 3000 tonnes of fish to the auction every year.
Éric Guygniec commented that he would have preferred to see another option than the sale of the 22-metre Marie Lou to owners elsewhere in France, but this turned out to be the only option.
Now he’s focusing on ensuring the company’s future and keeping the remainder of its fleet in place.
‘The APAK model works well. It allows several fishing skippers to be brought together within the same structure, making it possible to pool both maintenance and logistics issues. By working with the resources available, we also hope to keep most of our boats in Keroman,’ he said.
Having skippered Annytia since 2010 before becoming a partner in 2016, Clément Arrial will take on a more prominent role within APAK by acquiring shares in Carmalia before the end of the year. He can also count on Dolmen’s skipper Frédéric Lizeul and Victoire Céleste’s skipper Jérémy Villeneuve, as well as marketing manager Jérôme Nicol.
Éric Guygniec isn’t leaving right away and aims to play as much of a supporting role as he can, as well as remaining involved in the energy initiative on board seiner/trawler Naoned.
‘I want to see the Hyba project through to completion. It is an important step to reduce the carbon footprint of fishing vessels, and this is and a key issue for the future of this profession,’ he said
