Estuaries of Picardie
Baie de la Somme
Baie de la Canche
The first impression of an estuary with silt, sand and twisted channels is amazing. This environment seems wild, hostile and dangerous. Yet, these areas are home to some of the richest ecological systems in the world.
Life in the estuary must constantly adapt to the never ending variations in salinity which are triggered and reinforced by storms and rising waters. Silt particles, much finer than sand particles, are torn from the shores or mainland and transported into the estuary where they create mudflats. These mudflats (uncovered at low tide) are also known as "slikkes". They are submerged by the sea twice every 24 hours.
On the shores the abundant and rich organic material attracts a wide range of microscopic flora and invertebrates, source of many foodchains. Molluscs, shellfish, fish and halophyte plants (which grow in environments with high salinity content), thrive in the constant motion of this environment, feeding on the nutriments in the sand and silt which slowly but surely fill the estuary. The result is an extremely rich biodiversity. The many species tolerate the constantly changing conditions. The waterbirds, waders, shorebirds and ducks gather in the mudflats at low tide in flocks of hundreds, even thousands during the migration period. At high tide, migratory diadromous fish (which live in fresh and salt water) forage in this corridor where they reproduce.
The Baie de la Somme is a large estuary in the Hauts-de-France region. The bay drains - amongst others - the river Somme into the English Channel. The bay is noted for its ornitological richness. At low tide the bay is characterized by wild, flat areas of march and sand, from which the delicassy of glasswort (Salicorne) is collected. The Bay of the Somme is a habitat for multiple fauna and flora species, the most famous being the harbor seal, locally referred to as phoque veau marin and the grey seal. The largest towns in the bay are Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme, Le Crotoy, Cayeux-sur-Mer and Noyelles-sur-Mer.
The dunes of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage are a protected wilderness far from the busy seafront and town center. The dunes offer not one, but several habitats, each with its own biodiversity. The sailing complex at the outskirts of the Canche Bay Nature Park offers a breathtaking view of the estuary.
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© Guy Steen Photography
