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After industry's era, a return to the sea
A major industrial site from the mid-19th century onwards, Port de Bouc (pronounced "Boo") became a municipality in 1866. At that time, it already possessed salt marshes, a lead factory, and well-known shipyards, followed by the Cabissol de la Lèque cod drying plant in 1876.
The city experienced a period of prosperity, and during the postwar boom years, its population was approximately 14,000 people.
In 1966, things took a turn for the worse—the closure of the shipyards put 2,000 people out of work. However, the people looked to the major industrial zone of Fos, which was promising thousands of jobs. Steel manufacturers from Lorrain invested greatly in the plan, and the city built housing to lodge 7,500 new residents. Then, the crash! In the wake of the first oil crisis, the development of the Fos industrial zone stopped in 1975.
These frustrated prospects didn’t demoralise Port-de-Bouc residents. The city's geographic location—between sea, canal, and lake—remained a precious asset. In the end, the city turned back to the sea: authorities created the public fish auction for the entire Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and as a result, the city attracted processing companies for marine products. As one example, the reputation of the trade show Les Sardinades is now international.
And finally, despite an environment that did not suggest a tourist image, Port-de-Bouc has developed both tourism and sailing.
