end of 1852. The quay pavement dates from this time. The dock deteriorated again, and in 1902 subsided more than 50 cm towards the water. The town council did not want to finance plans proposed by engineers to completely rebuild the wharf 68m away. In 1935, the mayor warned that the dock continued to be a problem and in 1936, it collapsed by about 30m. It took three years before repairs were begun, but the work was completed in 1939. The dock measures 220m and is classified ZPPAUP (as a protected area) as a monument of the Gulf of Morbihan. The dock is adjacent to restaurants and hotels, and is a venue for markets, art exhibitions, sales of postcards, a carousel and other seasonal activities, as well as sailing instruction. A boat tour to the islands sails from here and an old rigged ship is permanently docked there too. The latter contains a small museum which includes a replica of Saint-Goustan. The port has been painted by many artists, including Odilon Redon and Mathurin Méheut. The port became a marina containing approximately 155 moorings next to the dock. It was classified as a departmental port and now receives over 1300 visitors vessels per year (as of 2007). During the 20th century Saint-Goustan became one of the most popular tourist areas in the Auray area as a result of its picturesqueness and the timbered houses in the town centre. However, the large granite stones of the wharf are gradually disintegrating and tidal erosion has created pockets behind the retaining wall. At the end of 2008 part of the wharf had subsided and was in danger of collapse. This area is important for the stability of the houses bordering and had to be consolidated with an emergency embankment of large stones. This part of the wharf now need major repairs costing 1.88M Euros which should be undertaken in January 2009. In December 2008, an association was created with the aid of the Heritage Foundation to gather donations to restore the dock. Environment The quasi-estuary location and the aid of the presence of mudflats mean that the port and the valley host many species of seabirds. The docks are covered with kelp and local oysters. The river Auray plays an important part as a natural route for fish and birds. As such it is one of the components of the national environmental framework