“It’s a bit of a fisherman’s bible,” summarizes Jean-Baptiste Bonnin, evoking the fruit of “more than 20 years of expertise and exchanges with fishermen.” Former coordinator of the IODDE association (Île d’Oléron Développement Durable Environnement) which became the CPIE Marennes-Oléron, this nature lover has just published a work destined to become a reference and soberly entitled “Fishing on foot on the island d’Oléron”.
Supported by Francine Fèvre, Jacques Pigeot and Adrien Privat, Jean-Baptiste Bonnin dissects in 300 pages illustrated with 600 photographs the history of this subsistence activity which has become “a free leisure activity, accessible to all and practiced by nearly 2 million people “. Practical advice, regulations, anecdotes and recipes: this book brings together a multitude of knowledge and know-how in order to set foot on the foreshores, as the part of the coast periodically covered by the tide is called.
The book describes around thirty different fishing practices, deliciously discusses the many species to taste but also explains how to ensure your safety on the foreshore and how to disgorge the shellfish. Jean-Baptiste Bonnin also dwells at length on the history of shore fishing on the island of Oléron. “A strong bond, much stronger than elsewhere, unites the Oléronais to this practice. Here, the food came mainly from the foreshore and not from the sea,” underlines the author, recalling a time not so long ago.
Fishing on foot and fish locks have long provided the Oléronais with essential nutritional supplements in times of food shortage. Today, this leisure activity attracts up to 220,000 fishermen to Oléron each year on the rocky, sandy and muddy foreshores – and up to 7,000 people simultaneously during high tides. “It allows us to maintain a connection with nature. And with a little education, this hobby is completely bearable for the community,” says Jean-Baptiste Bonnin who, while he likes to vary the pleasures, “admits to having a weakness for curry combs.”
“Fishing on foot on the island of Oléron”, by Jean-Baptiste Bonnin, published by Éditions Local Éditions, 300 pages, 25 euros.
