(Sukarrieta, 9 July 2010). Today the ‘CapBretón 2010' marine research campaign terminated and the aim of which was to gather information about the sea bed in the area of the Gulf of Biscay. This project is an initiative of the Department of the Environment, Territorial Planning and Agriculture & Fisheries of the Basque Government. The gathered data was used to study the living communities that live at the bottom of the oceans and thus characterise the sea bed. This information will be employed by AZTI-Tecnalia to provide data and knowledge needed for correct scientific advice to managers - in this case, the Basque Government -, with the end goal of achieving sustainable use of the sea and the conservation of marine ecosystems, in the line of research put forward by the European Maritime Strategy.

During this scientific campaign, initiated last 29 June, the AZTI-Tecnalia researchers gathered samples of benthic-demersal species - those inhabiting the seabed - in order to find out about their diversity and abundance. Likewise, they took samples of benthos (seabed species) in order to study their composition, and took pictures of the benthic habitats. The information gathered will serve to evaluate the environmental state of the zone and to know the pressures and impacts to which these habitats are subjected due to the effect of human activity and use.

Within the ‘CapBretón 2010' activity, it is also expected to place a number of gauges for measuring the water currents at different depths and key points in the Gulf of Biscay in order to ascertain their direction and speed, as well as the temperature at various points of the column of water. The tide gauges provide precision data on the physical oceanography of the area, thanks to these the physical processes of the currents such as tides and waves can be studied.

European Maritime Strategy

With the ‘CapBretón 2010' campaign and thanks to Basque Government funding, AZTI-Tecnalia is contributing to the European Maritime Strategy, the goal of which is to promote the sustainable use of the sea and the conservation of its ecosystems, including the ocean beds, estuaries and coastal zones, with special attention to places of high value in terms of biodiversity.

This strategy was motivated by the increase in the impact suffered by the marine environment by human activity, including the growing threat of endangered marine ecosystems, the reduction in biodiversity and the physical destruction of habitats. Likewise, the project was undertaken in order to cover the existing lacunas in maritime vigilance and monitoring programmes and to unify criteria in these matters. Finally, the project aims to contribute to the good governance of the maritime domain within the European Union overall.

The European Maritime Strategy has an ecosystematic focus, which means that it considers the marine environment as a whole, including humans and their activities. What is involved here, in short, is to protect and recuperate the seas and oceans of Europe, as well as to watch over the ecological viability of human activity, without losing sight of the economic and social viability of the marine communities and industry. All this with the end goal that both present and future generations can enjoy and take advantage of biological diversity and the dynamism of a safe clean, healthy and productive marine environment.