Îlet Frégate is an uninhabited islet of the commune of François. This islet is a protected site. It is located south of Duplessis point in the alignment of the Long islet. Its area is 3.5 hectares.
It is an islet from the submarine volcanic chain of Vauclin-Pitault dated from the middle Miocene, it is like the islets Lavigne, Long, Oscar and Thierry, protected by an order of protection of biotope since 2003. It is registered by the ministerial decree of July 28, 2007, with the islets Lapins and Pelé as a “registered site”.
It owes its name to the Habitation Frégate which is located nearby and which belonged to the Clerc family.
Its geological aspect is that of the hyaloclastitis resulting from the sudden solidification of the lava in contact with water. Rounded in shape and circumscribed by degraded cliffs, the islet is only 20 meters high.
It has a discontinuous and poorly distributed vegetation cover made of graminaceous herbaceous plants on its northeast extremity, trees of Poirier on its windward side, manchineel tree in its back beach, beginnings of mangrove at Mangle Rouge in its western point and finally of Hippomane Mancinella (mangrove) on a good part of the leeward coast.
A rare tree is found there, the big Cosmaya of its scientific name Cratera Tapia.
As for the fauna, we find mainly sheep, anolis, woodlice and locusts.
Among the birds it is the black-tailed dove which is attached to this islet because of the seeds of the "boi zotolan" which it feeds on.
It is an islet that it is able to visit. Its frequentation is especially seasonal and linked to the periods of tourist vacations. Excursion companies offering visits of several islets (Métrente, Lavigne, Lapins, Pelé, la Grotte, à Eau, aux Rats and Petite Martinique) including the îlet Frégate will allow you to visit it.
The îlet Frégate is part of the islets classified as neither too degraded nor too preserved.