Foreshore

The foreshore is a large area appearing when the tide is out

 It is the paradise for those fishing...Peculiar to Île de Ré: it has numerous fish locks.

Information for better protection

As soon as you pass the toll, the tone is set: banners indicate that you are ge ing into the foreshore, a listed site to be protected.

For non initiates, the foreshore is the part of the seashore which is left exposed at low tide, thus showing pebbles and rocks, and le ing  shing pits appear. 

This fragile environment shelters numerous species which are very popular among  shers along the seashore: mussel, oyster, clam, cockle, hard shell clam, scallop, razor clam are part of the most favourite shell-fish. As for crustaceans, edible crab, velvet crab and shrimp are the most appreciated. But one should keep in mind that these are endangered species.

Fishing along the seashore entrances every generation, young and old alike; it is not unusual to see children with their grandparents equipped with push nets and baskets and exploring the beach.

When it is spring tide, it is possible to get to the lighthouse of Chauveau on foot as it is a great a raction. Before going  shing, it is recommended to follow a few rules that will ensure the sustainability of biodiversity resources in the foreshore: observe the minimum regulatory sizes for each species (small measuring devices are available throughout the island in order to throw back small species in the water), observe the maximum quantity of 5kg, use traditional tools and do not move pebbles.

"There are so many beauties and riches in this natural space... We must above all respect it. Fish, seafood and shellfish are born here. So, we shouldn't turn over stones."

DID YOU KNOW?

An edible crab reaches mature age, between three and four years, when it is 8cm wide; between the months of July and October, during the moulting period, it cannot be eaten; it can live up to 20 years.

The velvet crab does not reproduce before the age of one; it reaches the width of 10cm at the age of three. Edible crabs and velvet crabs reproduce in winter every year, and egg hatching occurs in summer.

The shrimp reproduces three times a year, in spring, summer and winter.  The quantity of eggs increases according to its age: at the age of three, the female can lay up to 25,000 eggs which will hatch more or less quickly depending on the temperature of the water. And shrimps can change sex from male to female after two years.

Like most of crustaceans, a cockle can live up to 10 years, and it becomes an adult at the age of two. Mussels are adults at the age of one only.  The reproduction period of bivalves is usually between March and July.

You do not have to use tools to catch razor clams, you only need to use salt. But you have to catch them very quickly because they immediately plunge back into 40 or 50cm of sand. If you turn a stone over to catch a crab, the  flora dies and brings about the death of larvae clinging to it.

Attention!

There are numerous controls: any catch can be checked, any fisherman can be punished. But before sanction, information and environmental awareness are top priorities: if the ecological balance of species and their biological rhythms are not respected, this ecosystem is greatly threatened. It is in that direction that the publicity campaign conducted on the initiative of the community of municipalities of the island since last spring has been designed.

Fishing along the seashore is a pleasure to be shared with our family. By practising it with an environmentally-friendly approach, we allow our children to continue practising it with their children in the years to come.