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- The Oyster – Queen of the Arcachon Basin
The Oyster – Queen of the Arcachon Basin
Oyster farming as a breeding activity in the Arcachon Basin began in 1852, the year during which the Basin’s first oyster beds were developed by Victor Coste, Professor of Embryology at the Collège de France and a close friend of Napoleon III (he was the Empress Eugénie’s personal physician). Today, oyster farming is practised by some 380 companies, with annual production to the tune of 10,000 tonnes.
The Basin’s waters are renewed daily, ensuring that its oysters develop in a top-quality environment. Apart from production of oysters for immediate sale, the Arcachon Basin also supplies 70% of the 4 and a half billion baby oysters required for France’s overall oyster-farming production.
At low tide, some oyster beds are accessible on foot – a great opportunity for finding out about the oyster farmer’s art – the know-how and techniques required for collecting oyster scuds and rearing them to adulthood – in the company of one of its practitioners.
The Arcachon Basin’s oyster-farming ports and villages have kept their original authenticity, giving them a character all of their own. You can enjoy oysters to your heart’s content in any one of them, of course, but there’s also plenty else on the menu to choose from – prawns, clams, sole, and bass for a start…
On the Basin’s north bank are the ports of l’Herbe, le Canon, Piraillan, Grand Piquey, Petit Piquey, Arès and Andernos.
On the southern shore: Lanton, Audenge, Biganos and Gujan-Mestras, which on its own makes up a group of 7 ports, the oldest of which, Port de Larros, is home to the Maison de l’Huître (Oyster House).
Many oyster farmers open their cabins to the public for tasting sessions, offering one and all a perfect opportunity to sample the salty taste of the sea in surroundings that dazzle the eye – the cabins with their brightly coloured roofs and whitewashed tiles, bathed in the marvellous luminosity that the Basin’s skies provide so unstintingly.
The Arcachon Basin’s various Tourist Offices
invite you to discover the world of the oyster farmer and his know-how, with visits – on foot or by pinasse – to the Basin’s oyster beds, ports and islands.
The Oyster Festival
All summer long, the Arcachon Basin’s oyster-farming villages celebrate their star, providing an excellent opportunity to meet oyster farmers, share their know-how and sample their produce. A whole range of events and festive soirées are also on the bill of fare.
June: Lège-Cap-Ferret festival
July: Lanton, Gujan-Mestras and Andernos-les-Bains festivals
August: Arès, Claouey and l’Herbe festivals.
Zoom in The Maison de l’Huître
The Maison de l’Huître
Located in the heart of Port de Larros in the municipality of Gujan-Mestras, the Maison de l’Huître invites visitors to discover the world of oyster farming, its history, and the various skills involved. An amazing journey into the private world of the Arcachon Basin.
Open all year round.
Port de Larros – Gujan-Mestras
+33 5 66 23 71
Did you know?
The white tiles to be found in front of all oyster farmers’ cabins serve as collectors: the mixture of chalk and sand with which the tiles are covered facilitates the gathering of baby oysters when they have to be "detached".
3 years pass between the capture of spats – baby oysters – and their final consumption.
