Biodiversity
Life is synonim of health
The Cantabrian Sea is home to many living organisms and an important migratory route for large pelagic species. Among all this biodiversity, cetaceans are the best known, the Cantabrian host species that have almost been extinct due to water pollution and excessive fishing.
The EBSA (European Biophysical Societies' Association) proposal includes this area as a biodiversity hotspot which includes spawning grounds for several fish species and soft bottoms for benthic species of commercial interest, as well as endangered, threatened and declining species habitats.
GOOSE-BEAKED WHALE (Ziphius cavirostris)
Cuvier's whales or Goose-beaked whales belong to the beaked whale family and the most seen species of these whales family in the world.
NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE (Eubalaena glacialis)
The North Atlantic Right Whale is one of the most threatened large whale species in the world. They belong to baleen whales that feed on copepods through their baleen plates.
This whale is also known as the "Basque whale" which was hunted to the brink of extinction by the early 1890s.
FIN WHALE (Balaenoptera physalus)
Balaenoptera physalus is the second-largest whale in the world, its name comes from the fin on its back near to its tail.
As the North Atlantic Right Whale, this whale was threatened by commercial whalers in the 1900s. Actually, under sustainable quotas allowed by the International Whaling Commission, some hunting continues in Greenland. However, nowadays its major threat comes from vessel strikes.
SPERM WHALE (Physeter macrocephalus)
Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales and can be found in all deep oceans worldwide, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Its name comes from its spermaceti, an oil sac found in their heads used to focus sound. They were extremely hunted from 1800 to 1987 as their oil was used for oil lamps, lubricants and candles. Nowadays, their populations are still recovering thanks to the conservation and management actions taken.
Apart from these large cetaceans, there is a great variety of fauna in this sea that would be impossible to collect in its entirety. Some examples are the following.
References
Alerta roja para los corales del Mar Cantábrico | RTVE.es. (2010). https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20100615/alerta-roja-para-corales-del-mar-cantabrico/335554.shtml
Cuvier's Beaked Whale | NOAA Fisheries. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/cuviers-beaked-whale
Fin Whale | NOAA Fisheries. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/fin-whale
Lophelia pertusa - Oceana Europe. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://europe.oceana.org/es/our-work-marine-wildlife-corals-species-at-risk-lophelia-pertusa/
North Atlantic Right Whale | NOAA Fisheries. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale
Sperm Whale | NOAA Fisheries. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/sperm-whale