The dry marshlands, whose vast flat expanses border the coast, offer a striking contrast to the wet marshlands. Protected by dykes, the dry marshlands are made up of black Brie soil, which requires fertilising to grow wheat, barley, corn and beans. Its saltwater meadows serve as pasture for cows and saltbush sheep. Aiguillon bay, slowly silting over, is home to mussel beds on pilings. Esnandes and Charron are the marshlands' centres of mussel farming.