In fact the island has always been part of France since the union with Britanny, and was inhabited or used by Breton inhabitants until the end of World War 2 where it was highly bombarded before being liberated along with the rest of Saint-Malo and Britanny. It is a plain part of Saint-Malo, and reachable by pedestrian from the beach. The prohibited zone has created a natural area under protection and only the beach in the allowed zone can be visited. Talossa claims that barbed-wire fence and warning notices are creating a border when it fact it only constitutes a personal protection for safety, and for the local ecosystem (notably sea birds, and maritime plants) that has developed locally since the island is no longer inhabitable. Due to the protection, no economic development and establishment of residence is possible, and the island is also a property of the state, and visited regularly by scientists, French rescuers, so it was never left abandoned by France, even during WW2 when it was occupied by the German army. The island is also fully within the territorial waters of France and the small maritime area (possibly uncovered at low tide by a sand bank) between the island and the continent is part of the interior waters of France. The coasts of the island is also open to pedestrian fishing. After demining operations, the management of the island was transferred from the French ministry of Defense to the "Conservatoire du littoral" (an official French public operator) in October 2017, in order to further expand its natural protection and manage the historic and archaeology sites left on the island, including the ruins of chapels and burial sites.