Ibiza Channel Slope is located between the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands in Spain. The area is an ~90 km wide deep (~700 m) channel that connects the Balearic Sea and Gulf of Lion with the Algerian Basin (García-Lafuente et al. 1995). It plays an important role in the dynamic water exchange between the northern basin (cooler and more saline with a mean sea surface temperature [SST] of 13.46ºC and salinity of 38.0 parts per thousand [ppt] in the boreal winter; and mean SST of 23.2ºC and salinity of 37.9 ppt in summer) and the Algerian Basin (warmer and less saline mean SST of 14.1ºC and salinity of 37.81 ppt in winter and mean SST of 24.9ºC and salinity of 37.5 ppt in summer). This is a highly dynamic area where the dominating southward current through this channel interacts with intrusions of recent Atlantic waters impulsed by the Alboran and Algerian Basin mesoscale structures flowing northward in the eastern part of the channel (Lana et al. 2016; Vargas-Yañez et al. 2017; Pinot et al. 2022). This interaction produces important oceanic fronts and upwellings, enhancing productivity in the area especially in the vicinity of the continental shelf and slope. The substrate is dominated by mud with patches of rock and sand (EEA 2021). The area is also characterised by distinct geological features such as the Xabia-Ibiza Seamount (Gomez-Ballestero et al. 2015) and pockmark fields (Acosta et al. 2001).

Ibiza Channel Slope overlaps in the North-western Mediterranean Pelagic Ecosystems Ecologically and Biologically Significant Marine Area (CBD 2016), and partially overlaps with the Plataforma-talud Marinos del Cabo de la Nao Key Biodiversity Area (KBA 2023), and one Natura 2000 area (EEA 2021).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is delineated from a depth of 400 m to 850 m based on the bathymetry of the area and the fisheries data supporting the Qualifying Species.