he Association for the Defence of the Ile de Ré Fish Locks (ADEPIR) was born from the will of a few islanders of the Ile de Ré, passionate about an original maritime heritage: the fish locks or stone fisheries.
Very numerous in the Middle Ages on the French rocky coasts, there were still 140 of them in 1900 on the Ile de Ré. In 1982 there were only 13 active fisheries...
The Groupement d'Études Rétaises, in its famous Cahiers de La Mémoire, gave a perfect account of what a fish lock was, how it was built and how it was fished, as well as recalling the daily life of the fishermen of the Ile de Ré in the 18th century, with a special focus on these fish traps built of dry stones assembled and blocked according to certain building techniques.
A first exhibition on the fish locks at the tourist office of Sainte-Marie-de-Ré in 1993 had alerted on the last fisheries which disappeared one by one. The ADEPIR was created in 1995 by a few men determined to save this maritime heritage: Lucien Joubert, Lucien Bonnaudet and Robert Barrère in particular decided on a main associative objective: the protection, restoration and conservation of the old stone fisheries or fish locks on the Ile de Ré. At that time, there were only 8 fish locks left on the island.
The Board of Directors of ADEPIR elected its first President, Lucien Joubert, a renowned fisherman from La Rochelle. Robert Barrère succeeded Lucien Joubert in .... In 2015 Dominique Chevillon succeeded Robert Barrère and celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Association, which had succeeded in helping to conserve or restore 14 fish locks, all of which are now in operation.
On 24 August 2017, the first stone of the ruined lock, the Trou d'Cheu, was laid at Les Portes en Ré, heralding the restoration of a 15th stone fish lock on the Ile de Ré.
The chapter on "A Titan's work" in the section on Fish Locks invites us all to be very humble, because as we know, co-owners of Pêcheries, Bâtisseurs des estrans, the all-powerful sea reminds us every day that these stone structures are subject to formidable constraints: The tides, twice a day, the coastal currents and above all the terrible swells that punctuate autumn, winter and spring, not forgetting the storms and storm surges... This of course invites us, while being ambitious, to remain humble in the difficult exercise of conserving the fish locks of the Ile de Ré.
The members of ADEPIR, represented by the Board of Directors, are determined to preserve this fragile maritime heritage which has survived the centuries despite wars, periods of abandonment, epidemics, intense climatic phenomena, which are frequent in certain winters, and the way of life of teams of rough and courageous co-owners who fight against the force of the elements. With a growing handicap: the evolution of the lifestyles of the islanders (less farmers, craftsmen, traders) which, it must be said, are less compatible with the unchanging rhythm of the two daily tides, which oblige one to go to the lock day and night, for fishing of course, but above all for the indispensable surveillance of the walls and slatted floors of the fishery, which is the only way of safeguarding the works during the harsh winter periods.
With the support of the population and its elected representatives, these last active locks are living symbols of the island's heritage and way of life.
The Groupement d'Études Rétaises, in its famous Cahiers de La Mémoire, gave a perfect account of what a fish lock was, how it was built and how it was fished, as well as recalling the daily life of the fishermen of the Ile de Ré in the 18th century, with a special focus on these fish traps built of dry stones assembled and blocked according to certain building techniques.
A first exhibition on the fish locks at the tourist office of Sainte-Marie-de-Ré in 1993 had alerted on the last fisheries which disappeared one by one. The ADEPIR was created in 1995 by a few men determined to save this maritime heritage: Lucien Joubert, Lucien Bonnaudet and Robert Barrère in particular decided on a main associative objective: the protection, restoration and conservation of the old stone fisheries or fish locks on the Ile de Ré. At that time, there were only 8 fish locks left on the island.
The Board of Directors of ADEPIR elected its first President, Lucien Joubert, a renowned fisherman from La Rochelle. Robert Barrère succeeded Lucien Joubert in .... In 2015 Dominique Chevillon succeeded Robert Barrère and celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Association, which had succeeded in helping to conserve or restore 14 fish locks, all of which are now in operation.
On 24 August 2017, the first stone of the ruined lock, the Trou d'Cheu, was laid at Les Portes en Ré, heralding the restoration of a 15th stone fish lock on the Ile de Ré.
The chapter on "A Titan's work" in the section on Fish Locks invites us all to be very humble, because as we know, co-owners of Pêcheries, Bâtisseurs des estrans, the all-powerful sea reminds us every day that these stone structures are subject to formidable constraints: The tides, twice a day, the coastal currents and above all the terrible swells that punctuate autumn, winter and spring, not forgetting the storms and storm surges... This of course invites us, while being ambitious, to remain humble in the difficult exercise of conserving the fish locks of the Ile de Ré.
The members of ADEPIR, represented by the Board of Directors, are determined to preserve this fragile maritime heritage which has survived the centuries despite wars, periods of abandonment, epidemics, intense climatic phenomena, which are frequent in certain winters, and the way of life of teams of rough and courageous co-owners who fight against the force of the elements. With a growing handicap: the evolution of the lifestyles of the islanders (less farmers, craftsmen, traders) which, it must be said, are less compatible with the unchanging rhythm of the two daily tides, which oblige one to go to the lock day and night, for fishing of course, but above all for the indispensable surveillance of the walls and slatted floors of the fishery, which is the only way of safeguarding the works during the harsh winter periods.
With the support of the population and its elected representatives, these last active locks are living symbols of the island's heritage and way of life.
