In the age of discovery, the French ports along the Atlantic shoreline and the English Channel were naturally attracted to the New World. From Bayonne to Dieppe, by way of the salt-rich ports of Saintonge, such as Brouage (birthplace of Samuel de Champlain), ships travelling the sea routes with North America supplied all of France with cod. When the fur trade and colonial settlements began to develop, La Rochelle became the favourite embarkation point for emigration and commerce with the colonies.