At the mouth of the narrow stream passing the Pré des Chartreux meadows the tiny fishing port of Talmont wedges into the protection provided by the rocky Talmont peninsula.
The bastide of Talmont was founded in 1284 by Edward I, King of England and Duke of Aquitaine, on a small promontory jutting into the Gironde estuary, between Talmont Bay and Anse du Caillaud. Taking advantage of a strategic site, it is a formidable stronghold, surrounded by ramparts and equipped with a “fort chasteau” represented, in particular, on an engraving by Chastillon (1604). Far from being as important as that of Royan, the port of Talmont was at this time above all a fishing port, but also a trading port, maintaining relations with New France. The walls of certain houses, rebuilt after the occupation of the city by the Spanish in 1652, bear witness to these exchanges: many of them are made of ballast stones, taken on board ships from northern Europe or the New -world in order to maintain the balance of their flotation, then unloaded on their arrival at the port, where the inhabitants reuse them.
In 1630, Cardinal Richelieu planned to expand the port and dig a Seudre-Gironde canal between the port of Ribérou, in his barony of Saujon, and Anse du Caillaud. This project, mentioned many times during the Ancien Régime, was ultimately never implemented.
In 1697, on Claude Masse's map entitled "de la coste de Saintonge", the village of Méché is indicated just like the conches of "None" and "Venet" (les Vergnes), indicated by marine anchors specifying a good anchorage for boats.
In the middle of the 19th century, like many small ports in the surrounding area (port des Monards, Port-Maubert, etc.), that of Talmont was modernized and took on its current configuration.
The port of Talmont, very modest, has kept its 19th century configuration. No cranes or oil tanks, but a simple channel of around 200 meters, where a flotilla of around twenty fishing boats (skiffs, wire boats, etc.) is stationed.
Until 1982, we set out for sturgeon fishing (called creac in Saintongeais and Occitan), which provided a caviar highly prized by amateurs, compared even to those produced in Iran or the Soviet Union. Overfishing, however, got the better of this activity, and sturgeon fishing is now prohibited. Nowadays, we fish mainly for lean fish, lamprey or pibale, eel fry with a very fine taste. As this dish becomes increasingly rare, it is generally very expensive.
Translated by Google •
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