Bermeo is located offshore of Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa provinces, Basque Country, Spain. This area encompasses part of the continental shelf and part of the slope towards the Capbreton canyon system. Bermeo is characterised by shallower areas on the continental shelf which are predominantly rocky and occasionally covered by sandy-muddy and sandy substrates, to the slope in which muddy-sandy or muddy sedimentation predominates with the presence of contourite channels with pockmarks (cone-shaped, circular, or elliptical depressions) (Jané et al. 2010; Galparsoro et al. 2020).

The area is influenced by a marked seasonal stratification and mixing, typical of temperate seas. During the boreal winter, the water column is fully mixed, whereas in spring and summer, surface warming leads to strong thermal stratification (Mason et al. 2006). The region also experiences moderate wind-driven upwelling and freshwater input from local rivers, contributing to nutrient enrichment and enhanced primary productivity (ICES 2022). In addition, the area is influenced by dynamic mesoscale features, including shelf-break fronts and eddies (Fernández et al. 2004; Borja et al. 2019). Submarine canyons along the continental slope off the Basque coast carry organic material downward, linking surface and deepwater ecosystems, and boosting local productivity and habitat diversity (van den Beld et al. 2017). Within the area, the anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus spawns seasonally from March to August, a process triggered by the warming of surface waters and the onset of water column stratification (Motos et al. 1996).

The area overlaps with the Cantabrian Sea (Southern Bay of Biscay) Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA; CBD 2025).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is pelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 1,800 m based on the bathymetry of the area and the depth range of the Qualifying Species.