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The bassin d'Arcachon (Arcachon Bay) is located in the Aquitaine Atlantic French coast. The bay covers approximately an area of 150 km² at high tide and 40 km² at low tide. Several governance, planification and management tools are implemented in the Bay area.

It is an important working place for numerous local fishermen and oyster farmers. In order to enhance their participation in territory planification and governance, professional fishermen and oyster-farmers organisations suggested that the MAIA project could provide them with a comparative study of several tools implemented in the Bay. Therefore, this study summerizes the main features of the following governance, planification or management tools:

• Natura 2000 marine sites
• Parc naturel marin / Nature Marine Park
• Conservatoire de l'espace littoral et des rivages lacustres sites
• Réserve naturelle nationale / National Naturel Reserve
• Schéma d'aménagement et de gestion des eaux / A local scale planning tool for water quality and quantity
• Schéma de mise en valeur de la mer / A local scale planning tool for marine uses and spaces management
• Schéma de cohérence territoriale / A local scale terrestrial urban planning tool

A focus is made on understanding potential interactions, positive or negative, between each tool and professionnal fishing and oyster-farming activities. This study also provides an attempt to clarify interactions between these tools, and how they could remain coherent and efficient.