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From the port of La Cotinière to the oyster route, discover authentic places where modern oyster farming and traditional architecture coexist.
The Fishing Port of La Cotinière
A picturesque fishing port on the west coast, exposed to the Atlantic swell, La Cotinière is one of the liveliest villages on Oléron Island. Trawlers and gillnetters in bright red and green come and go with the tides.
The daily fish auction is the highlight of the day. At 3 PM, ships unload the day’s catch: hake, line-caught sea bass, sole, langoustines, and shrimp are La Cotinière’s specialties. Stroll through the Victorine market to buy fresh fish.
The leading fishing port in Charente-Maritime, La Cotinière has about a hundred trawlers and two hundred and twenty active sailors. They practice traditional coastal fishing: trawling, longlining, or net fishing. At the port, “La Cotinière fisheries” and oyster farmers’ stalls offer their products for sale during market hours.
Marennes-Oléron Oysters
Oyster farming is a tradition here. The “Marennes-Oléron” has earned its reputation thanks to a very specific technique: finishing in claires (oyster ponds). After growing in the open sea on oyster beds, oyster farmers store them in the basins of former salt marshes.
Some will finish their growth there as “pousses en claire,” while others will grow a little more and turn a beautiful green thanks to a microscopic algae: the blue navicula.
The Marennes-Oléron label is awarded to oysters that have spent 1 to 2 months in the finishing ponds, depending on the desired oyster category, whether “fine de claire” or “spéciale de claire.”
The Oyster Farms
The port of Château-d’Oléron, in the south of the island, is one of the main ports in the Marennes Oléron basin (along with those of Marennes and La Tremblade). Oyster farming activity is concentrated on the Ors channel at the island’s entrance, then at the village exit towards Boyardville. This is where the oyster route begins, winding between Château-d’Oléron and Boyardville, and falling within the perimeter of the Moëze-Oléron nature reserve.
The small port of La Baudissière, on the channel of the same name, is a particularly picturesque port. Here, as at the port of Château d’Oléron, you’ll find old wooden huts on stilts that have been converted into artists’ studios.
The Fort Royer oyster farm in Boyardville is one of the oldest. Developed on a preserved natural site, this century-old village is still active. Guided tours are offered year-round by the Fort-Royer oyster farming and natural site association.
On the mainland, Bourcefranc-le-Chapus is a charming village with its oyster port at Pointe du Chapus and the Daire channel with picturesque huts. This typical village is located halfway between Rochefort and Royan.
