Fishing on foot | Saint-Malo – Mont-Saint-Michel Bay

Fish Shellfish and crustaceans

©©alamoureux Découverte Guidée Du Littoral (27)|alexandre lamoureux

©Peche A Pied Abri Des Flots Cancale Alexandre Lamoureux 2797|alexandre lamoureux

©©alamoureux Découverte Guidée Du Littoral (24)|alexandre lamoureux

Every Breton has a family member or friend who enjoys fishing on foot. Because the sea offers us something to eat, let’s learn how to gather its fruits, while respecting the mesh, to ensure the longevity of this Garden of Eden.

Take advantage of low tide to discover the foreshore and bring back a few shellfish that you can enjoy as an aperitif: cockles, clams, periwinkles, razor clams… Be vigilant and don’t go off at random. Fishing on foot is regulated, so don’t improvise!

For your health, it’s best to consult the Agence Régionale de la Santé website, which provides information on beaches where fishing on foot is inadvisable or prohibited.
The size and quantity of shellfish taken must also be respected in order to conserve the resource and ensure that fishing on foot can continue!”

Visit the Responsible Fishing website

Responsible fishing website

Responsible harvesting

Live to the rhythm of the tides and go fishing on foot, with family or friends!

Play your part in preserving the flora and fauna around us and fish responsibly by sorting the species you harvest as you go!

respect the minimum size and quotas required depending on the species
bury shellfish that are too small to protect them from predators
release the females of shellfish carrying eggs
collect only the quantity of shellfish you want to eat
replace pebbles and seaweed to preserve the living environment of species

Before you go fishing …

watch the weather and the time of low tide
go up 30 to 45 minutes after low tide at the latest
consult the ARS, IFREMER or the town hall to find out about health risks
Don’t forget your measuring tool (on sale at the Saint-Malo Tourist Office reception desk)
Don’t go out alone
Beware of the risk of being surrounded when the sea rises
Take a mobile phone with you (emergency number 112 or 196)

For further information: Délégation à la Mer et au Littoral on 02 90 57 40 20.

Sheet available for sale in our reception offices, 6 €

The right thing to do for shore fishing

only fish what you will eat
respect the authorised fishing areas (beaches)
respect the authorised sizes and quantities (refer to the decree in force)
preserve the marine environment (by putting back overturned pebbles, filling in holes, using authorised tools….)
it is forbidden to harvest shellfish from eelgrass beds

The tools authorised for harvesting shellfish, marine worms and echinoderms only:
(no restrictions on fishing tools used for harvesting crustaceans and fish in Brittany)

the hoe, consisting of a rectangular blade no more than 10 cm long and no wider than 15 cm.
knife, 20 cm maximum length (including handle)
clam knife
hook or hook, 150 cm maximum length (all included)
spoon
knife gouge
hammer and chisel: authorised only for harvesting oysters
net, round or oval net mounted on handle. Minimum mesh size 16 mm stretched (8 mm on a side)
the fork: consisting of 4 tines with a maximum length of 20 cm. It is authorised for harvesting marine worms (and species not subject to quota)
the sea urchin grab
the claw, with no more than 4 tines of a maximum length of 10 cm
the rake, unmeshed, without a pocket, with a maximum width of 35 cm and tines of a maximum length of 10 cm.

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©Cancale Eductour Visite Guidee Et Peche A Pied Avec La Maison De La Baie Smbmsm 599

Harvesting seaweed

How about a few seaweeds in your basket?

Harvesting seaweed from the shore is an ancestral practice that has been somewhat forgotten but is now coming back into fashion. Harvesting is done on foot on the foreshore, at low tide, from a coefficient of 70. But be careful, this is harvesting, not plucking. Sea lettuce and black seaweed are among the most popular edible seaweeds.

How to pick seaweed?

Do not harvest the seaweed completely: leave the spike and a piece of each seaweed to allow the seaweed to grow back
Do not tear off the seaweed: cut the seaweed with a knife rather than a sickle to better control the length of seaweed left on the rock
Do not move or turn over the rocks: the species that live on or under them are different and turning over the rocks can cause the death of a third of them.
do not scrape the rock with a tool: as this can stop the production cycle of a seaweed
do not harvest beached seaweed: harvest fixed seaweed

The harvesting of shoreline seaweed has been regulated since 2017, you can find information ICI.

©Grandes Marees Maree Basse St Malo Smbmsm 12313

Sea fishing

What about catching your own fish?

Go out to sea or freshwater with a professional fishing guide and discover the pleasures of fishing by the sea or on a boat.

Fish lovers, you’ll find a wide choice of products from the day’s catch on the market benches: sole, pollack, turbot or dab. The trawlers from Saint Malo will be returning with cod and haddock from the Far North. Enjoy them with refined sauces such as beurre blanc sauce or made with butter and crème fraîche mixed with white wine.