Morlaix Bay is one of the cradles of oyster farming in France. Farmed for 150 years, the oyster finds a favorable environment for growth between rivers and open sea in a large bay sheltered from the swell.

The Morlaix Bay Oyster - an ancient history and a European reputation

Morlaix Bay is one of the cradles of oyster farming in France.

Farmed for 150 years, the oyster finds a suitable growth environment between rivers and the open sea in a large bay sheltered from the swell.

The Bay has historically been geared towards the farming of the flat oyster "Belon" Ostrea Edulis, an original species of our coasts, emblem of the Breton coasts: moreover, the name "Belon" is exclusively reserved for flat oysters farmed in Brittany.
Oyster farming in the Bay has thus built a European reputation.
After the flat oyster epizootics of the 1970s, it turned, for the most part, to the farming of cupped oysters, moving, for many oyster farmers, from land farming, still maintained by a few, to farming in bags.

The genesis of the association: the desire to bring a territory back into the spotlight

In 2023, we wanted to maintain and promote this rich history of oysters from the Bay of Morlaix-Penzé and the surrounding area.
We therefore created the association “L'Huître de la Baie de Morlaix” with two co-founders, Denis Pengam and Pierre Cheminant.

The common desire was also to mobilize local stakeholders, reflecting the historic place of oyster farming in the economic fabric.
The typicality of the association is therefore based on the involvement of all existing local associations, initially from Carantec, by associating them as honorary members and by planning the redistribution of any profits in the manner of fishing shares.

Furthermore, L'Huître de la Baie de Morlaix has included in its statutes essential missions which seemed to us to be naturally in line with the oyster farming profession:
· Awareness of the ecosystem and environmental changes of which oyster farming is one of the first witnesses
· The democratization of scientific knowledge of oyster farming
· The federation of local stakeholders (professionals, associations, communities, institutions, schools) for the promotion of the Morlaix Bay Oyster, and more broadly of its territory
· The opening and strengthening of the attractiveness of the oyster farming world
· The promotion of oyster, cultural, artistic, gastronomic, sporting and scientific heritage linked to the Oyster in Morlaix Bay

The 1st Oyster Festival

This is how the 1st Oyster Festival was born in 2023, spanning a week around several themes:
· History
· Job
· Gastronomy
· Science
· Arts
· Culture
· Sport

The next edition will take place from April 29 to May 5 with the same spirit