Bilbao Port Authority, University of the Basque Country Renew Biomonitoring Collaboration Agreement

The Bilbao Port Authority and the University of the Basque Country have renewed their collaboration agreement to roll out the Biomonitoring Plan of the Port of Bilbao, which includes, for the first time, monitoring and surveillance of the phytoplankton community. 

Since 1994, the Department of Plant Biology and Ecology and the Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology at the University of the Basque Country have provided the Bilbao Port Authority with technical assistance in rolling out the Port's Biomonitoring Plan. The new contract, due to run for four years, is worth USD$916,781 (€785,810).

As part of this collaboration agreement, originally signed over 30 years ago, between the Port and the University, the development of the benthic communities (flora and fauna) in the outer harbor area is closely monitored, and an assessment is made of general trends as well as an analysis of changes in terms of both flora and fauna (composition and relative abundance of species) and at the structural level. In addition, the physical and chemical characteristics of the water column are characterized by measuring parameters such as light extinction coefficient, salinity, turbidity, suspended solids and organic and inorganic matter.

A new feature of the 2025-28 contract is the inclusion of the study of phytoplankton, with a view to understanding the structure and dynamics of phytoplankton communities and identifying the presence of potentially harmful and/or toxic species (entry or potential exit). This information provides the Port Authority with a rigorous scientific basis to assess the biological and physical-chemical status of the port ecosystem and its immediate environment at any given time, while also identifying the pressures to which it is subject. In short, this biomonitoring is the basis for environmental quality management and the protection of the aquatic systems of the Port of Bilbao.

In general terms, the results of the Biomonitoring Plan indicate that in recent years there has been a positive trend in the maturity of biological communities, and that expansion works and port activity have not had a widespread negative impact on them.

The Biomonitoring Plan of the Port of Bilbao includes an extensive network of monitoring stations, specifically 21. At 18 of these stations, benthic communities and the physical and chemical parameters of the water column will be studied, divided into a total of eight sectors: Sector 1, covering Punta Lucero (PL) and Punta Ceballos (PC); Sector 2, covering Zierbena (ZI) and Zierbena Dock (DZ); Sector 3, covering the Zierbena 1 (C1) and 2 (C2) breakwaters; Sector 4, covering the Inner Wharf 1 (D1) and Inner Wharf 2 (D2); Sector 5, covering Santurtzi (SA) and Ereaga (ER); Sector 6, covering Las Arenas (LA) and Arriluze (AL); Sector 7, covering Arrigunaga (AG) and La Galea (GA); and Sector 8, covering Azkorri (AZ), Sopelana (SO), Matxilando (MA) and Kobaron (KO). The first seven sectors cover most of the port area (Inner and Outer Abra), where the Ereaga, Arrigunaga and Punta Galea monitoring stations are set up to distinguish between the effects caused by the waters of the Nervión River and the possible effects of port activities. Likewise, the four stations in Sector 8 are located on the open coast and are considered reference locations. These are located to the right (AZ, SO and MA) and left (KO) of the Abra harbour and are less affected by the estuary and port activities.

The phytoplankton communities will be characterized at the other three monitoring stations (BIL-1, BIL-2 and BIL-3), all located within the facilities of the Port of Bilbao. BIL-1 is located in the Outer Abra, next to the Punta Lucero Dock, which is used for handling liquid bulk cargo and for the berthing and unloading of oil tankers. BIL-2 is located in the mid-section of the Abra, between Docks A1 and A2, which is an area mainly used for container loading. BIL-3 is located in the innermost part of the Abra, between the E2 Dock and the Reina Victoria Dock, where conventional cargo such as steel and construction materials are handled.