BORDEAUX, France -- France lifted a ban on the sale of oysters from the Arcachon basin on Thursday after water tests showed fears of pollution from the sunken tanker Prestige were currently unfounded.

Oysters and other shellfish farmed were banned on January 4 as oil slicks from the tanker, which sank off the northwest Spanish coast last November, hit beaches running halfway up France's Atlantic coast.

"There is no reason to maintain the ban imposed as a precautionary measure to guarantee the quality of the oysters," Christian Fremont, prefect of the Gironde Department, told reporters, Reuters reported.

Test results released on Wednesday showed that hydrocarbons in the basin's water were well below accepted limits.

The Arcachon basin is a major oyster-producing region Empl oying around 1,000 people in some 350 firms that produce 12,000 tons of oysters a year.

The picturesque triangular basin, connected to the Atlantic through a narrow gap in the coastline, is also home to an important bird sanctuary and its residents depend on fishing or tourism for much of their income.

Oyster farmers have joined fishermen in protests and threats of legal action against the possible damage to their livelihood after the 26-year-old Prestige, laden with 77,000 tons of oil, sprang a leak and sank six days later after snapping in half.

France has taken over from Spain in coordinating clean-up efforts. It has made available an initial 50 million euros ($51.88 million) to fund the clean-up and has also launched a criminal inquiry to establish responsibility for the spill.