Port de pêche de Chef de Baie Tourist sites in La Rochelle

The Chef de Baie Fishing Port, located in La Rochelle, is an essential and modern infrastructure that plays a crucial role in the region's maritime economy. It is the heart of La Rochelle's fishing industry.

A Historic Reimplantation

The Chef de Baie Fishing Port was created in 1994 to replace the former trawler basin, known as "l'Encan", located in the Old Port of La Rochelle. This move became necessary due to urban growth and the modernization of fishing fleets, making the Old Port unsuitable for the needs of professionals. Six years of major work were necessary to develop this new site in Chef de Baie, adjacent to the large Port of La Pallice.

A Complete Halioport Platform

Today, the Port of Chef de Baie is much more than just a docking place for fishing boats. It is a true multi-service platform, fully equipped to meet the expectations and needs of professionals in the seafood industry.

• It has a 10-hectare deep-water basin, offering permanent access to ships, protected by the islands of the Charente archipelago (Ré, Oléron, Aix, Madame). Its strategic position in the center of the French Atlantic coast makes it ideal for local small-scale fishing vessels and those operating in the Bay of Biscay.
• The Chef de Baie fish market is the beating heart of the port. It organizes daily auctions of seafood. Modernized, it allows computerized sales (90% of transactions are done remotely via the internet) and sees thousands of tons of fish, shellfish and crustaceans pass through each year (around 2,000 to 4,000 tons annually). The sale begins very early in the morning (around 4:30 a.m.) from Monday to Friday. More than 100 different species are sold there, from local fishing and various fleets.
• The port has state-of-the-art fish trading facilities, a 3,000 m² sorting room and 22,000 m² of refrigerated buildings for storing and preparing products. It also has a bus station on site, facilitating the distribution of products to national markets.
• Beyond fishing and the auction, the site also welcomes shellfish farming professionals, taking advantage of its proximity to the production areas.

A Major Economic Player and a Site Open to the Public

The Port of Chef de Baie is a major economic player for La Rochelle and its region, generating hundreds of direct and indirect jobs and a significant annual turnover for the sector.

Although a professional site, the Chef de Baie Fishing Port opens to the public to reveal the behind-the-scenes of this fascinating world:

• Guided tours allow you to witness the early morning bustle of the port and follow the journey of the fish, from landing to auction. These tours require advance booking.
• Marked circuits (approximately 2 km round trip) are set up to allow visitors to walk along the quays, observe the return of ships and better understand the port's professions.
• The port occasionally organizes events for the general public, such as the " Fishing Port Festival " or permanent exhibitions.