The battle of the foam

Synopsis

In the days before Christmas, the “goose-barnacle foragers” wage a merciless war, gathering strange molluscs that only live on Belle-Île and the Côte Sauvage. Taking advantage of low tide, crews of sailors go fishing in small but powerful boats to navigate the tidal currents as safely as possible and avoid the waves that thrash against the cliffs. Then they jump from rock to rock to harvest their precious booty. The barnacles can fetch as much as 100 euros a kilo in Spain. This fishery is highly regulated and the maritime authorities often patrol the fishing grounds day and night to bring some order to these waters when the poachers are out.