Marine Park
Despite several major oil spills and cases of overfishing, the Iroise Sea is still rich in flora and fauna. It is especially well known for its seabass, its shoals of dolphin, seals, sea otters, lobsters and, on occasion, sunfish, basking shark and even whales. There are also many varieties of seabird including cormorants, guillemots and herons. The sea is also recognized as the richest environment for seaweed in Europe with some 300 species. As a result, on 2 October 2007, after years of debate and discussion, the French authorities created the country's very first marine park, officially labelled Parc naturel marin d'Iroise. The three main objectives are to increase knowledge of the marine environment, to protect the area's habitats and species and to develop marine activities of all kinds. The Iroise Marine Park covers an area of 3550 km² from latitude 48°31'N (the north coast of Ushant) and latitude 47°59'N (south coast of the Ile de Sein), the mainland coastline to the east except for the Rade de Brest, and the 12-nautical-mile (22 km) limit on French territorial waters to the west.
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