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THE ESTUARY : SAINT NAZAIRE

The Loire river travels over 1,000 km across France before ending in a vast estuary which is 60 km long and over 3 km wide at its mouth. The estuary, with its innumerable sandy islets, salt marshes, reed beds and water meadows, forms a remarkable ecosystem. Fishing, for elver in particular, has no doubt been practised over 6,000 years ago.

The megalithic tumulus at Dissignac dates back to this period and offers a rare clue of what community life was like in the days before Gauls.

The Loire estuary is the heart of a wet zone which includes the Brière marshes. Thousands of water fowl make it their home each year during the migration breeding and wintering seasons.