Search

not available

International audience; This paper examines the impact of climate change on the bio-economic performance of Bay of Biscay mixed fisheries and explores the capacity of alternative management strategies to cope with these impacts. A dynamic multi-species, multi-class, multi-fleet model is developed and calibrated using available biological, economic and environmental information for French fleets. Fishing and economic data have been collected within the European Data Collection Framework. Climate represented by the sea surface temperature is assumed to affect species recruitment. Three management strategies are compared in terms of bio-economic outcomes: the Status-Quo (SQ), a Multi-species Maximum Sustainable Yield (MMSY) strategy and a Multi-species Maximum Economic Yield (MMEY) strategy. These strategies are ranked with respect to two contrasted scenarios regarding the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) driving climate change. Results show that the SQ strategy is not sustainable and is characterized by a major decline of the key commercial species. By contrast, the MMSY strategy improves the ecological state and economic performance of the fishery. The MMEY strategy yields even greater bio-economic improvements. Bio-economic benefits are however altered by the effects of climate change. Under the MMEY strategy, fleets with more diversified catch structures perform better facing climate change.

This paper analyses the institutional strengthening process of the Diputación (Council) of Biscay developed during the second half of the XVIII Century. From the methodological point of view, a dual perspective is used. On one hand, attention is focused on the consequences that the relationship between the Crown and the Señorío of Biscay had for the Diputación (Council) during the period known as the Enlightened Absolutism. On the other hand, the internal institutional development is analysed, i.e., the relationship between the Diputación (Council of Biscay) with other institutions of the Señorío —as the Corregidor and the local governments— coexisting in the complex and plural foral framework. It can be concluded that the during the last decades of the XVIII Century the Diputación (Council of Biscay) broadened its scope of power, achieved a pre-eminent position over other powers and jurisdictions of the foral system and became a necessary tool for the Monarchy to apply its orders and some of its reforms in Biscay., El presente artículo analiza el proceso de fortalecimiento institucional de la Diputación General del Señorío de Vizcaya desarrollado durante la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII. Desde el punto de vista metodológico, utilizamos una doble perspectiva. Por un lado, observamos las consecuencias que la relación institucional entre la Monarquía y el Señorío de Vizcaya tuvo para la Diputación en la época del denominado Absolutismo Ilustrado. Por otro lado, analizamos la dinámica institucional interna, es decir, la relación de la Diputación con otras instituciones del Señorío como el Corregidor y las corporaciones locales vizcaínas, en el marco de un entramado institucional foral plural y complejo. Todo ello nos permite concluir que durante las últimas décadas del siglo XVIII la Diputación ensanchó notablemente su ámbito de poder, adquirió una posición preeminente sobre otros poderes y jurisdicciones del orden foral y se convirtió para la Monarquía en instrumento necesario para aplicar en Vizcaya sus órdenes y algunas de sus reformas.

Trabajo presentado en el Ecological Basis of Risk Analysis for Marine Ecosystems Symposium, celebrado en Porvoo (Finlandia) del 2 al 4 de junio de 2014., Vídeo de la comunicación disponible en: https://youtu.be/8LOcP6ZLTqs, To explain atypical events in anchovy population dynamics in the Gulf of Cadiz, it is crucial to consider environmental processes in a different way from how these are traditionally included in stock-recruitment relationships. In the Gulf of Cádiz, sea surface temperature, intense easterlies and discharges from the Guadalquivir river have been identified as key factors determining anchovy's early life stage mortality. We have constructed an environment-based recruitment model that estimates abundance of juveniles, as well as crucial parameters for the fishery such as natural and fishing mortality. There are few estimates for these parameters in the Gulf of Cádiz because of the lack of reliable information in contrast to other anchovy fisheries. Bayesian state-space models enable estimation of parameters with fewer data than non-Bayesian approaches because they allow the incorporation of prior knowledge. We are able to evaluate how modelling environment-based recruitment affects stock assessment and how responding to environmental information can benefit fisheries management. Further, by simulating a notional insurance scheme we are able to measure the value of using environmental information within a specific management regime defined by a harvest control rule. The main questions are whether incorporating the knowledge of environment in the management of anchovies in the Gulf of Cádiz is likely to reduce the volatility of the population dynamics of Anchovy and how this could benefit the commercial fishery andecosystem management.

espanolLos procesos para el avecindamiento de extranjeros en el Senorio de Bizkaia implicaban la presentacion y defensa de la hidalguia del solicitante. Estos pleitos involucraban la declaracion exhaustiva de la ascendencia y origen del foraneo, asi como de su ratificacion por parte de testigos. Por ello, tales instrumentos administrativos representan una fuente documental de alto valor historico para la caracterizacion sociodemografica de los grupos de inmigrantes en Bizkaia durante la Edad Moderna. En este caso, se aborda un analisis como el mencionado para el grupo de exiliados catolicos irlandeses que durante los siglos XVII y XVIII debieron abandonar su isla huyendo de la conquista y represion inglesa protestante. Asi, este estudio complementa y amplia otros previos dirigidos a la confeccion de un censo de irlandeses en el Senorio de Bizkaia en tal periodo, y constata la relevancia que este colectivo tuvo en la sociedad vizcaina. EnglishThe protocols for the naturalization of foreigners in the Lordship of Biscay involved the proof of hidalguia of the applicant. This legal procedure required a comprehensive description of ancestry and origin of the outsider, and its ratification by several witnesses. Hence, these demonstrative tools signify a source of high historical value for the sociodemographic characterization of migrant groups in early modern Biscay. This paper addresses such an analysis for the exiled Catholic Irish people, who fled from their island as a result of the English protestant invasion and repression during 17th and 18th century. This study complements and enlarges previous studies aiming at composing a census of Irish migrants in Biscay during that period, and it exposes the relevance this group accomplished within the Biscayan society.

International audience; In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to characterize the changes in taxonomic composition and environmental factors significantly influencing bacterial community structure across an annual cycle in the Estuary of Bilbao as well as its tributaries. In spite of this estuary being small and characterized by a short residence time, the environmental factors most highly correlated with the bacterial community mirrored those reported to govern larger estuaries, specifically salinity and temperature. Additionally, bacterial community changes in the estuary appeared to vary with precipitation. For example, an increase in freshwater bacteria (Comamonadaceae and Sphingobacteriaceae) was observed in high precipitation periods compared to the predominately marine-like bacteria (Rhodobacterales and Oceanospirillales) that were found in low precipitation periods. Notably, we observed a significantly higher relative abundance of Comamonadaceae than previously described in other estuaries. Furthermore, anthropic factors could have an impact on this particular estuary's bacterial community structure. For example, ecosystem changes related to the channelization of the estuary likely induced a low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, high temperature, and high chlorophyll concentration period in the inner euhaline water in summer (samples with salinity \textgreater30 ppt). Those samples were characterized by a high abundance of facultative anaerobes. For instance, OTUs classified as Cryomorphaceae and Candidatus Aquiluna rubra were negatively associated with DO concentration, while Oleiphilaceae was positively associated with DO concentration. Additionally, microorganisms related to biological treatment of wastewater (e.g Bdellovibrio and Zoogloea) were detected in the samples immediately downstream of the Bilbao Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). There are several human activities planned in the region surrounding the Estuary of Bilbao (e.g. sediment draining, architectural changes, etc.) which will likely affect this ecosystem. Therefore, the addition of bacterial community profiling and diversity analysis into the estuary's ongoing monitoring program would provide a more comprehensive view of the ecological status of the Estuary of Bilbao. Copyright: This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CCO public domain dedication.

The firs national insurances appeared in Spain during the first decades of the XX century, following the pattern of other European countries. At the beginning, they appeared as voluntary insurances under the management of subsidized freedom, later with the appearance of retirement pension, they became compulsory insurances. They had a complete implementation in the case of class claims from workers seeking to improve their living conditions. The local institutions, mainly the County Council and the Biscayan Savings Bank, and to a certain degree also the employers collaborated with the State to distribute the benefits of the new social policy., Durante las primeras décadas del siglo XX aparecen en España los primeros seguros sociales siguiendo el ejemplo de lo ocurrido en otros países europeos. Primero, bajo el régimen de libertad subsidiada como seguros voluntarios, y después, con la aparición del Retiro Obrero, como seguros obligatorios. En Vizcaya tuvieron una plena implantación en el marco de las reivindicaciones de clase de los trabajadores que buscaban con ello mejorar sus condiciones de vida. Las instituciones locales, especialmente la Diputación y la Caja de Ahorros Vizcaína, y a la larga también los empresarios colaboraron con el Estado para difundir los beneficios de la nueva política social.

The production of iron in Biscay (Basque Country, Spain) has been a hallmark of this territory of the North of the Iberian Peninsula throughout its history. The Archaeology team of the Basque Country Mining Museum has spent 13 years, so far, studying the origins of this activity through the evidences left at the old pre-hydraulic iron production workshops known as mountainside ironworks (ferrerias de monte) or haizeolak. It has catalogued 170 archaeometallurgical sites of this type in Biscay, and the archeological excavation of some of them has led to the knowledge of the different stages of the production process that took place in these workshops. The team has also experimentally reproduced the work carried out in a mountainside ironworks from the High Middle Ages, and it has currently started the characterization process of this type of activity through the study of the collected materials.

Detailed study related with the public sculpture in the Biscay town of Leioa, where there are some 30 public sculptures, making up the plastic landscape of this county. These public sculptures have been cataloged and analyzed, using an art historical methodology. In this process of inventory, we have incorporated all plastic elements that can somehow represent the social-cultural character and history of Leioa. From local politics, they have developed two fundamental premises; on the one hand, beautify urban spaces and, second, recall the memory of the celebrities that have stood out for their social, intellectual or cultural activity in this town. Within the field of the research about heritage of public sculpture in this county, we have articulated the following thematic groups: 1-Proposals related to historical and cultural context of the municipality. 2-Sculptures of the postwar Basque sculptors. 3-Proposals related to the University of the Basque Country. 4-Works related to Artaza Palace. 5-Other works. Estudio pormenorizado relacionado con la escultura pública en el municipio vizcaíno de Leioa, donde se recogen alrededor de unas 30 esculturas, que componen el paisaje plástico de este municipio y que han sido catalogadas y analizadas en base a una metodología histórico-artística. Se ha incorporado en este proceso de inventariado todo aquel elemento plástico, que de alguna manera pueda representar el carácter socio-cultural y la historia en todas sus ramificaciones del municipio de Leioa. Desde la política municipal, se han llevado a cabo dos premisas fundamentales; por una parte, embellecer los espacios urbanos y, por otra, recordar la memoria de los personajes que destacaron por su actividad social, intelectual o cultural en este pueblo. Dentro del ámbito de la investigación realizada en torno al patrimonio de la escultura pública en este municipio, hemos articulado los siguientes grupos temáticos: 1-Propuestas relacionadas con el contexto histórico-cultural del municipio. 2-Obra de escultores vascos de posguerra. 3-Propuestas vinculadas con la Universidad del País Vasco. 4-Obra relacionada con el Palacio Artaza. 5-Obra varía

This study presents a methodology for the automated analysis of commercial medium range sonar signals for detecting presence/absence of bluefin tuna (Tunnus thynnus) in the Bay of Biscay. The approach uses image processing techniques to analyze sonar screen shots. For each sonar image we extracted measurable regions and analyzed their characteristics. Scientific data was used to classify each region into a class ("tuna" or "no-tuna") and build a dataset to train and evaluate classification models by using supervised learning. The methodology performed well when validated with commercial sonar screenshots, and has the potential to automatically analyze high volumes of data at a low cost. This represents a first milestone towards the development of acoustic, fishery-independent indices of abundance for bluefin tuna in the Bay of Biscay. Future research lines and additional alternatives to inform stock assessments are also discussed. This research was supported by the Basque Government through PhD grant 0033-2011 to JU and grant GV 351NPVA00062 to HA (AZTI-Tecnalia). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

International audience; In the present study, we tested five trophic indicators and we demonstrated their usefulness to assess the environmental status of marine ecosystems and to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM). The tested indicators include the slope of the biomass spectrum, the mean trophic level (MTL), the marine trophic index (MTI) and two newly developed indicators, the high trophic level indicator (HTI) and the apex predator indicator (API). Indicators are compared between current state and potential reference situations, using as case studies: the Celtic Sea/Bay of Biscay, North Sea and English Channel ecosystems. Trophic spectra are obtained from Ecopath models while reference situations are estimated, simulating with EcoTroph and Ecosim different fishing pressures including three candidate scenarios for an EAFM. Inter-ecosystems assessments are done using Ecopath models, simulations outputs and scientific surveys data to assess the current states of the studied ecosystems, contrast the reference situations and analyze the responses of all indicators. Sensitivity analyses are also conducted on the main simulation parameters to test the robustness of the chosen indicators. Ecosystems specific targets for EAFM are proposed for the five trophic indicators estimated from whole-ecosystem models, while in the Celtic Sea/Bay of Biscay ecosystem targets are proposed for the MTL (=3.85) and HTI (48%) estimated from standard bottom-trawl surveys. The HTI is proposed to be relevant for survey data and the API is recommended using whole-ecosystem models. We conclude that HTI and API show trends in ecosystems health better than MTI.

En el presente trabajo pretendemos analizar la reforma fiscal llevada a cabo en el territorio histórico de Bizkaia en el ejercicio 2.006, y que entró en vigor el 1 de enero de 2.007. En concreto, se pretende analizar el efecto que tuvo sobre los contribuyentes, desglosándolo por niveles de renta. Con este objeto, planteamos la hipótesis de igualdad de sacrificio, y contrastamos su cumplimiento en los años 2.006 y 2.007, esto es, el último año previo a la entrada en vigor de la reforma y el primero en el que se aplico la nueva normativa. Los resultados muestran que, si bien en el año 2.006 no se cumplía el principio de igualdad de sacrificio, en el año 2.007 hay evidencia a favor de que sí se estuviese cumpliendo. Finalmente, se proponen formas funcionales impositivas alternativas a la empleada en la hipótesis de igualdad de sacrificio, observándose unos resultados similares a los obtenidos mediante la hipótesis de igualdad de sacrificio. In this paper, we analyze the tax reform carried out in the historical territory of Bizkaia in the 2.006 year and which come into effect on January 1th, 2.007. In particular, the aim of this paper is to analyze the effect that the reform had on the taxpayers, breaking it down by income level. With this goal, we suggest the hypothesis of equal sacrifice principle, and we check if this principle was accomplished in 2.006 and 2.007, which were the last year before the reform come into effect and the first in which the changes were applied respectively. The results show evidence that whereas the principle was not accomplished in the 2.006, it was in 2.007. Finally, we suggest alternative tax functional forms for the income tax code other than that based on the principle of equal sacrifice, showing similar results to those we got by the hypothesis of equal sacrifice.

Research surveys at sea are undertaken yearly to monitor the distribution and abundance of fish stocks. In the survey data, a small number of high fish concentration values are often encountered, which denote hotspots of interest. But statistically, they are responsible for important uncertainty in the estimation. Thus understanding their spatial predictability given their surroundings is expected to reduce such uncertainty. Indicator variograms and cross-variograms allow to understand the spatial relationship between values above a cutoff and the rest of the distribution under that cutoff. Using these tools, a “top” cutoff can be evidenced above which values are spatially uncorrelated with their lower surroundings. Spatially, the geometric set corresponding to the top cutoff corresponds to biological hotspots, inside which high concentrations are contained. The hotspot areas were mapped using a multivariate kriging model, considering indicators in different years as covariates. The case study considered here is the series of acoustic surveys Pelgas performed in the Bay of Biscay to estimate anchovy and other pelagic fish species. The data represent tonnes of fish by square nautical mile along transects regularly spaced. Top cutoffs were estimated in each year. The areas of such anchovy hotspots are then mapped by co-kriging using all information across the time series. The geostatistical tools were adapted for estimating hotspot habitat maps and their variability, which are key information for the spatial management of fish stocks. Tools used here are generic and will apply in many engineering fields where predicting high concentration values spatially is of interest.

This paper analyses the institutional strengthening process of the Diputación (Council) of Biscay developed during the second half of the XVIII Century. From the methodological point of view, a dual perspective is used. On one hand, attention is focused on the consequences that the relationship between the Crown and the Señorío of Biscay had for the Diputación (Council) during the period known as the Enlightened Absolutism. On the other hand, the internal institutional development is analysed, i.e., the relationship between the Diputación (Council of Biscay) with other institutions of the Señorío —as the Corregidor and the local governments— coexisting in the complex and plural foral framework. It can be concluded that the during the last decades of the XVIII Century the Diputación (Council of Biscay) broadened its scope of power, achieved a pre-eminent position over other powers and jurisdictions of the foral system and became a necessary tool for the Monarchy to apply its orders and some of its reforms in Biscay. El presente artículo analiza el proceso de fortalecimiento institucional de la Diputación General del Señorío de Vizcaya desarrollado durante la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII. Desde el punto de vista metodológico, utilizamos una doble perspectiva. Por un lado, observamos las consecuencias que la relación institucional entre la Monarquía y el Señorío de Vizcaya tuvo para la Diputación en la época del denominado Absolutismo Ilustrado. Por otro lado, analizamos la dinámica institucional interna, es decir, la relación de la Diputación con otras instituciones del Señorío como el Corregidor y las corporaciones locales vizcaínas, en el marco de un entramado institucional foral plural y complejo. Todo ello nos permite concluir que durante las últimas décadas del siglo XVIII la Diputación ensanchó notablemente su ámbito de poder, adquirió una posición preeminente sobre otros poderes y jurisdicciones del orden foral y se convirtió para la Monarquía en instrumento necesario para aplicar en Vizcaya sus órdenes y algunas de sus reformas.

Farrell, E. D., Hüssy, K., Coad, J. O., Clausen, L. W., and Clarke, M. W. 2012. Oocyte development and maturity classification of boarfish (Capros aper) in the Northeast Atlantic. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 498–507. This study presents the first detailed investigation of the oocyte development and maturity classification of boarfish, Capros aper, which has recently become the target of an industrial fishery in the Northeast Atlantic. A total of 2014 boarfish were collected from January to December 2010. Mature male and female boarfish were sexually dimorphic and could be readily identified based on external characteristics. A comprehensive maturity scale was developed, which indicated that the length at 50% maturity for males and females was 9.7 cm total length. Female boarfish were observed to spawn in Irish waters in June and July. Once spawning ceased the remaining mature oocytes were resorbed. Preliminary analysis of reproductive strategy indicates that the boarfish is likely an asynchronous batch spawner with indeterminate fecundity.

The abundance and spatial occupation of European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus have in- creased in the North Sea since the mid-1990s. We use a cross-disciplinary approach combining genetics, transport modelling, survey time series analyses and physical oceanographic modelling to investigate 3 hypotheses on the reasons for this change. Evidence from connectivity studies suggests that the population of North Sea anchovy is separate from that in the Bay of Biscay. The recruitment pulses observed in survey data fit a life cycle which includes spawning in early summer and larval development in late summer. This also supports the concept of population expansion originating from local remnant population(s). In terms of growth physiology, suitable thermal windows have expanded, making conditions more favourable for life cycle closure and population persistence/productivity. In addition to the increased frequency of warm sum- mers, which favour larvae and juvenile growth, the decrease in the number of severe winters is also likely to improve overwinter survival. Overall, the evidence supports the hypothesis that the increase in anchovy abundance originated from the improved productivity of existing populations. This increase was associated with an expansion in thermal habitats and is probably not due to a northward shift in the distribution of southern conspecifics.

A growth and survival model of the early life stages was run along virtual drift trajectories tracked in a hydrodynamic model to simulate the annual recruitment process of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Bay of Biscay (NE Atlantic). These biophysical simulations concerning three different years were analysed in order to investigate the influence of environment and spawning dynamics on the survival of larvae and juveniles. The location of space-time survival windows suggested major environmental mechanisms involved in simulated recruitment variability at the different scales - retention of larvae and juveniles in favourable habitats over the shelf margins and turbulence effects. These small-scale and meso-scale mechanisms were related to the variations in wind direction and intensity during spring and summer. Survival was also variable according to the origin of the drift trajectories, that is spawning distribution in space and time. The observed spawning distribution (according to field surveys) was compared with the spawning distribution that would maximize survival (according to the biophysical model) on a seasonal scale, which revealed factors not considered in the biophysical model (e.g. spawning behaviour of the different age classes). The variation of simulated survival according to spawning distribution was examined on a multi-annual scale and showed a coherent pattern with past and present stock structures. The interaction processes between the population (influence on spawning) and its environment (influence on survival) and its implications on recruitment and stock dynamics are discussed.

Fish recruitment is the result of the integration over a season and large oceanic areas of small-scale processes affecting larval survival. A hydrodynamic model was used (a) to explore and model these physical-biological interaction mechanisms and then (b) to perform the integration from individual to population scales in order to provide recruitment predictions for fisheries management. This method was applied to the case of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Bay of Biscay (NE Atlantic). (a) To tackle survival mechanisms, the main data available were past growth (otolith) records of larvae and juveniles sampled at sea. The drift history of these individuals was reconstructed by a backtracking procedure using hydrodynamic simulations. Along the individual trajectories obtained, the relationships between (real) growth variation and variations in physical parameters (estimated by hydrodynamic simulations) were explored. These relationships were then used to build and adjust individual-based growth and survival models. (b) Thousands of virtual buoys were released in the hydrodynamic model in order to reproduce the space-time spawning dynamics. Along the buoy trajectories (representative of sub-cohorts), the biophysical model was run to simulate growth and survival as a function of the environment encountered. The survival rate after three months of drift was estimated for each subcohort. The sum of all these survival rates over the season constituted an annual recruitment index. This index was validated over a series of recruitment estimations. The modelling choices, model results and potential use of the recruitment index for fisheries management are discussed.

The scleractinian coral Lophelia pertusa has been the focus of deep-sea research since the recognition of the vast extent of coral reefs in North Atlantic waters two decades ago, long after their existence was mentioned by fishermen. These reefs where shown to provide habitat, concentrate biomass and act as feeding or nursery grounds for many species, including those targeted by commercial fisheries. Thus, the attention given to this cold-water coral (CWC) species from researchers and the wider public has increased. Consequently, new research programs triggered research to determine the full extent of the corals geographic distribution and ecological dynamics of “Lophelia reefs”. The present study is based on a systematic standardised sampling design to analyze the distribution and coverage of CWC reefs along European margins from the Bay of Biscay to Iceland. Based on Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) image analysis, we report an almost systematic occurrence of Madrepora oculata in association with L. pertusa with similar abundances of both species within explored reefs, despite a tendency of increased abundance of L. pertusa compared to M. oculata toward higher latitudes. This systematic association occasionally reached the colony scale, with “twin” colonies of both species often observed growing next to each other when isolated structures were occurring off-reefs. Finally, several “false chimaera” were observed within reefs, confirming that colonial structures can be “coral bushes” formed by an accumulation of multiple colonies even at the inter-specific scale, with no need for self-recognition mechanisms. Thus, we underline the importance of the hitherto underexplored M. oculata in the Eastern Atlantic, re-establishing a more balanced view that both species and their yet unknown interactions are required to better elucidate the ecology, dynamics and fate of European CWC reefs in a changing environment., SI

En el México colonial los miembros de la nobleza titulada, así como otros hidalgos comerciantes, empresarios mineros y hacendados, se agruparon en función de su procedencia peninsular en torno a facciones o grupos de poder a los que se denominó «naciones», siendo la vizcaína y la montañesa las más destacadas durante la Edad Moderna. Tales individuos conformaron redes económicas fuertemente cohesionadas y endogámicas, manifestando un patente orgullo de pertenencia a esos grupos privilegiados, tanto por su linaje como por su religiosidad. En paralelo a su ascenso económico y social se advirtió en ellos una creciente predisposición hacia la promoción artística, bien a título particular, bien a través del consulado de la ciudad o de las hermandades y congregaciones a las que pertenecieron, a menudo fundadas en los principales conventos urbanos mexicanos, donde recibieron sepultura, acompañados de sus retratos, en los que se incluyeron referencias expresas a su piedad y generosidad, In colonial Mexico, members of the nobility, as well as other merchant noblemen, mining entrepreneurs and hacienda-owners, divided into groups, depending on their place of origin in Spain, forming factions or powerful groups referred to as “nations”. The groups from Biscay and Cantabria were among the most influential during the Modern Age. These individuals formed strongly cohesive and exclusive economic networks, overtly expressing pride in belonging to these privileged groups, both for their lineage and their religion. While they were becoming more economically and socially powerful, they also showed signs of a certain predisposition toward artistic promotion, either individually or through the city consulate or brotherhoods and congregations to which they belonged, often founded in the most important urban Mexican convents where they were buried, along with their portraits, and in which they expressly requested references be made to their piety and generosity

[EN] In the coastal area of Meñakoz (Sopelana, Bizkaia) outcrop, in mechanical contact, alkaline basalt lavas (upper Albian) and turbidite sandstones of the black flysch (upper Albian-lower Cenomanian) are affected by an intense weathering process. The alveoli formed, in both lithologies, present a typology conditioned by: a) the mineralogical composition (basalts vs. sandstones); b) fabric (massive vs. cross/convoluted lamination); c) the coastal environment in a humid-temperate climate, leading to repeated wetting-drying cycles; d) the different orientation of the surfaces to the prevailing wind; e) biogenic activity (algae and lichens), as a temporary protective surface. The weathering process is in an advanced stage of degradation with destruction and coalescence of cells, although there are also sets of cells preserved in good condition. It discusses the main internal/external factors that have enabled, accelerated and blocked its development, with strong variations in the speed of the process. [ES] En la zona costera de Meñakoz (Sopelana, Bizkaia) afloran, en contacto mecánico, coladas de basaltos alcalinos (Albiense superior) y areniscas turbidíticas del flysch negro (Albiense superior- Cenomaniense inferior) afectadas por un intenso proceso de meteorización. Los alvéolos formados en esas diferentes litologías presentan una variedad tipológica condicionada por: a) la composición mineralógica (basaltos vs. areniscas); b) la fábrica-textura (disposición masiva vs. laminación cruzada/convoluta); c) el ambiente costero en un clima húmedo-templado, lo que produce repetidos ciclos de humectación-secado; d) la diferente orientación de las superficies al viento dominante y e) la actividad biogénica (algas y líquenes), como superficie protectora temporal. El proceso de meteorización que afecta a las rocas se encuentra en un estadio avanzado de degradación con destrucción y coalescencia de celdas, aunque hay conjuntos de alvéolos preservados en buen estado. Se discute sobre los principales factores internos/externos que han posibilitado, acelerado y bloqueado el desarrollo de los alvéolos, constatándose notables variaciones en la velocidad del proceso. Este trabajo ha sido subvencionado parcialmente por el proyecto CGL 2011-2782- C02-02.

[EN] In the coastal area of Meñakoz (Sopelana, Bizkaia) outcrop, in mechanical contact, alkaline basalt lavas (upper Albian) and turbidite sandstones of the black flysch (upper Albian-lower Cenomanian) are affected by an intense weathering process. The alveoli formed, in both lithologies, present a typology conditioned by: a) the mineralogical composition (basalts vs. sandstones); b) fabric (massive vs. cross/convoluted lamination); c) the coastal environment in a humid-temperate climate, leading to repeated wetting-drying cycles; d) the different orientation of the surfaces to the prevailing wind; e) biogenic activity (algae and lichens), as a temporary protective surface. The weathering process is in an advanced stage of degradation with destruction and coalescence of cells, although there are also sets of cells preserved in good condition. It discusses the main internal/external factors that have enabled, accelerated and blocked its development, with strong variations in the speed of the process., [ES] En la zona costera de Meñakoz (Sopelana, Bizkaia) afloran, en contacto mecánico, coladas de basaltos alcalinos (Albiense superior) y areniscas turbidíticas del flysch negro (Albiense superior- Cenomaniense inferior) afectadas por un intenso proceso de meteorización. Los alvéolos formados en esas diferentes litologías presentan una variedad tipológica condicionada por: a) la composición mineralógica (basaltos vs. areniscas); b) la fábrica-textura (disposición masiva vs. laminación cruzada/convoluta); c) el ambiente costero en un clima húmedo-templado, lo que produce repetidos ciclos de humectación-secado; d) la diferente orientación de las superficies al viento dominante y e) la actividad biogénica (algas y líquenes), como superficie protectora temporal. El proceso de meteorización que afecta a las rocas se encuentra en un estadio avanzado de degradación con destrucción y coalescencia de celdas, aunque hay conjuntos de alvéolos preservados en buen estado. Se discute sobre los principales factores internos/externos que han posibilitado, acelerado y bloqueado el desarrollo de los alvéolos, constatándose notables variaciones en la velocidad del proceso., Este trabajo ha sido subvencionado parcialmente por el proyecto CGL 2011-2782- C02-02.

One of the products of José Miguel de Barandiarán's teaching and popularization of Basque ethnography, the journal Etniker Bizkaia contains the field studies and methodological guides of the research team who works in Biscay as part of a project aiming for the Ethnographic Atlas of the Basque Country.Uno de los productos de la labor docente y divulgadora de la etnografía vasca, llevada a cabo por José Miguel de Barandiarán, es la revista Etniker Bizkaia que recoge los trabajos de campo y las guías metodológicas creadas por los miembros del equipo investigador que trabaja en la zona de Vizcaya, dentro del proyecto del Atlas Etnográfico de Vasconia.

The planning of waste management strategies needs tools to support decisions at all stages of the process. Accurate quantification of the waste to be generated is essential for both the daily management (short-term) and proper design of facilities (long-term). Designing without rigorous knowledge may have serious economic and environmental consequences. The present works aims at identifying relevant socio-economic features of municipalities regarding Household Waste (HW) generation by means of factor models. Factor models face two main drawbacks, data collection and identifying relevant explanatory variables within a heterogeneous group. Grouping similar characteristics observations within a group may favour the deduction of more robust models. The methodology followed has been tested with Biscay Province because it stands out for having very different municipalities ranging from very rural to urban ones. Two main models are developed, one for the overall province and a second one after clustering the municipalities. The results prove that relating municipalities with specific characteristics, improves the results in a very heterogeneous situation. The methodology has identified urban morphology, tourism activity, level of education and economic situation as the most influencing characteristics in HW generation.

There is increasing demand for information on predator–prey interactions in the ocean as a result of legislative commitments aimed at achieving sustainable exploitation. However, comprehensive data sets are lacking for many fish species and this has hampered development of multispecies fisheries models and the formulation of effective food-web indicators. This work describes a new compilation of stomach content data for five pelagic fish species (herring, blue whiting, mackerel, albacore and bluefin tuna) sampled across the northeast Atlantic and submitted to the PANGAEA open-access data portal (www.pangaea.de). We provide detailed descriptions of sample origin and of the corresponding database structures. We describe the main results in terms of diet composition and predator–prey relationships. The feeding preferences of small pelagic fish (herring, blue whiting, mackerel) were sampled over a very broad geographic area within the North Atlantic basin, from Greenland in the west, to the Lofoten Islands in the east and from the Bay of Biscay northwards to the Arctic. This analysis revealed significant differences in the prey items selected in different parts of the region at different times of year. Tunas (albacore and bluefin) were sampled in the Bay of Biscay and Celtic Sea. Dominant prey items for these species varied by location, year and season. This data compilation exercise represents one of the largest and most wide-ranging ever attempted for pelagic fish in the North Atlantic. The earliest data included in the database were collected in 1864, whereas the most recent were collected in 2012. Data sets are available at doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.820041 and doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.826992.

This study has a double objective: to provide foreign colleagues with an insight into the controversy surrounding the international competitiveness of pig iron produced in Bilbao and also to present previously unpublished documentation regarding the European iron industry, which I have retrieved from the historical archive of Credit Lyonnais of Paris. This information includes the costs of Biscayan, French, British, German and Belgium pig iron broken down into five components (iron ore, coke, flux, labour and other costs), which is useful in determining the reasons why the pig iron from Bilbao became less competitive. The article is made up of three parts. Firstly, I will synthesise the controversy surrounding the competitiveness of the Basque iron and steel industry. Then I will present the itemised costs which provide information to illustrate how Biscayan pig iron was not competitive because it was produced with English coal which was more expensive than that consumed by the European factories located "on top of" or near coal seams. The article will finish with a section that, by way of conclusion, explains the comparative advantage and disadvantage of Bilbao, applying the first model of Alfred Weber's Theory of Industrial Location to three technological advances, occurring between the 1860s and 1913 (malleable iron, Bessemer steel and Thomas steel).

[ES] El presente artículo analiza el establecimiento de cónsules de naciones extranjeras en los puertos vascos, desde el siglo XVI hasta la primera mitad del siglo XIX. Y lo hace en un lapso de tiempo tan amplio, precisamente para poder valorar las cons­ tantes y diferencias producidas. Para ello se ha hecho uso de los fondos del Archivo General de Gipuzkoa, del Archivo Histórico de la Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, del Archivo General de Simancas y de la Sección de Consejos Suprimidos del Archi­ vo Histórico Nacional, así como de la abundante bibliografía existente. El estudio demuestra que durante el período de estudio hubo una oposición frontal al esta­ blecimiento de representación consular extranjera —más tajante en San Sebastián que en Bilbao—, por considerarse que era una erosión del orden foral. Sin embargo, existió un tratamiento diferenciado en función de la nación pretendiente y de su peso específico en la economía local. [EN] The aim of this article is to analyse the setting up of consuls of foreign nations in the Basque ports, from the 16th century to the first middle of the 19th century. The research tries to establish the constants and changes in the long term. In order to that, documents from the General Archives of Gipuzkoa, Historical Archives of Biscay, General Archives of Simancas and the National Historical Archives of Spain have been used, as well as the huge bibliography existing. The research shows that during the period analysed there was a full opposition to the establishment of a foreign consular representation —stronger in San Sebastian than in Bilbao—, due to being considered as a violation of local laws. However, there was a differ treatment depending on the nation and its specific weight on the local economy.

En su novela social El asalto (1930), Julián Zugazagoitia describió la difícil situación de los trabajadores de la primera industrialización en Vizcaya y la formación del socialismo vasco, a través de la intensa labor de diversas figuras históricas, como Facundo Perezagua y Pablo Iglesias. En este marco sitúa varios personajes aparentemente novelescos, entre los que destaca Fermín Ayestarán, un joven cura navarro destinado a la zona minera de esa provincia que, cada vez más comprometido con la suerte de los obreros, rompe con la Iglesia y acaba suicidándose en Barcelona. El trabajo muestra que este cura existió en la vida real, se trazan los principales hitos de su trayectoria y las circunstancias en las que se quitó la vida. Asimismo se plantea la posibilidad de que también otros personajes de la novela correspondan a individuos históricos. In his social novel El asalto (The Assault, 1930) Julián Zugazagoitia described the difficult situation of in workers the first industrialization in Biscay and the formation of the Basque socialism through the intense work of diverse historical figures, such as Facundo Perezagua and Pablo Iglesias. In this way he frames several seemingly fictional figures standing out Fermín Ayestarán, a young navarre priest sent to the mining zone of this province who became more and more committed with the labourers, severed his bonds with Church and ended committing suicide in Barcelona. The work shows that this priest was a real person and it also outlines the principal milestones of his career and the circumstances in which he killed himself. Furthermore, the work sets out the possibility of the connection beetween other characters of the novel with historical figures.

En este trabajo se analizan cuatro sondeos obtenidos en la playa de Azkorri (Bizkaia), formada por abundantes depósitos de escorias de fundición vertidas durante el siglo XX. El análisis de las especies de foraminíferos bentónicos, junto con el estudio sedimentológico efectuado, permite definir una asociación 1 de playa abierta natural de alta energía, previa a los vertidos. Sobre ella, la asociación 2, indica menor energía, tanto en la playa antropizada como en la parte interna de la playa original. Finalmente, la asociación 3, presente en la parte alta de los sondeos de la zona supramareal, indica una menor influencia mareal hacia techo, culminando con un posible depósito eólico de foraminíferos litorales In this paper we study four cores drilled in the Azkorri beach (Biscay), consisting of abundant deposits of iron slag discharged during the 20th century. The study of benthic foraminifers species, together with the sedimentological analysis performed, allow us to define three assemblages. Assemblage 1 of natural high-energy open beach deposited prior to the massive discharges of iron slag. The overlyingy assemblage 2 reflects less energy in, both the anthropised and innermost original beaches. Assemblage 3 defined in the topmost part of the cores obtained in the supratidal zone corresponds with reduced tidal influence, culminating in presumable eolian deposit of littoral foraminifers

The European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus population of the North Sea has increased and spread in recent decades, probably in response to the relaxation of limiting factors in its life history. We use models and empirical data to explore the effects of temperature and food availability during the first growing season on the adult anchovy population across the North Sea. First, we compare simulated growth during summer and autumn, from a dynamic energy budget model, with trends in the time series of anchovy survey catch per unit effort. The proportion of the area of the North Sea in which anchovy can grow to 10 cm (the potential growth habitat) correlates with the abundance of anchovy caught in surveys the following year. Second, spatio-temporal statistical modeling is used to show that anchovy abundance in surveys is related to environmental variables (temperature and food availability). Temperature explains the distribution and abundance of anchovy in the North Sea better than food availability or a combination of both environmental factors. We conclude that variations in growth during the first months of life can impact anchovy life cycle closure. Specifically for the North Sea anchovy, changes in temperature are more important than changes in food availability in allowing the fish to grow to overwintering size, under probably non-food-limited conditions.