Loire fishermen and glass eels
A Trentemoult fisherman and his wife, Biscuiterie Nantaise advertising card illustrated by Alexis de Broca.
Alexis de Broca (1868-1948) – public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsPushed off the Nantes waterfront when the Fosse was built, the fishermen settled on the islands of Rezé. Trentemoult specialised in sea fishing, the île des Chevaliers in the Loire; in the 18th century, together, they supplied almost all the fish sold in Nantes. Many fishermen had a second trade: at the Mint in the 17th century, later in the shipyards.
On place des Filets, shad nets were hung to dry. People fished for eels, pike, lampreys… and above all the glass eel, from December to April, a tiny eel that had come from the Sargasso Sea. Long a “poor man’s dish”, shared with neighbours and a vinaigrette, it is now strictly regulated.
About 30 professional Loire fishermen in 1926, 13 in 1962.
A glass eel, a young transparent eel
Photo: Wikimedia CommonsSources: Rezé Histoire no. 97 (April 2026), “3 walks to understand Trentemoult”, Rezé Histoire association – rezehistoire.fr. Texts rewritten by trentemoult.com; for more, get the magazine.