Les pêcheries des Moutiers-en-Retz

Warning... private concession!

In Moutiers-en-Retz, there are 36 fishing huts between Lancastria beach and Collet harbour. These "fishermen's huts" are located between the dunes and the foreshore. The Moutiers fisheries are unique in that they are accessible at both low and high tide. They belong to private owners who come to fish there for the duration of a tide. The fisheries are the subject of a concession granted by the Domaine Maritime; users pay an annual fee.


How do you fish?

Generally at high tide, to catch mullet, small sole, prawns and even eels!
The principle is simple:

bait is placed in the centre of the square net (hence the name: carrelet)
the plaice is lowered into the water,
After waiting just a few minutes, once the turbulence of the launch has passed, the net is hauled up and if you're lucky, some fish or crustaceans will have slipped into the hollow of the carrelet.
The haul-up is therefore rather random and the catches rare, but it's always a pleasant moment to spend.

A little history

Before 1900, the fishermen of our region used a "carrelet" (net) suspended from long chestnut poles, which could be dismantled and was called "bois debout" (standing wood). The use of this technique developed, giving way to fisheries. In the past, most of the fisheries on the Côte de Jade had no huts. Today, the construction of a footbridge makes them easier to access at high tide.