Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

Hendaye Hendaye (; Basque: ''Hendaia'',HENDAIA
Hondarribia. The river is best known for establishing the borderline at its lower tract. This stretch is crossed not only by aircraft at low height but by important European communication axes, namely AP8 E5 E80 - E70 A63 (motorway, connection at the Biriatu toll), main roads N1 - N10 (connection at the roundabout of ''Saizar'' by the river) and major French and Spanish railway networks,—

Renfe Renfe (, ), officially Renfe-Operadora, is Spain's national state-owned railway company. It was created in 2005 upon the split of the former Spanish National Railway Network (RENFE) into the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias ( ...

and

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

. Besides these major lines, other regional ones cross it too, e.g. regional railway EuskoTren (terminus in

Hendaye Hendaye (; Basque: ''Hendaia'',HENDAIA
and another double bridge (pedestrians/vehicles) joining the towns on the border, i.e. the historical Santiago Bridge ( Way of St. James). At this stage of the river, urban landscape prevails (built-up area). Before pouring its waters into the ocean, it forms a bay called Txingudi located between these towns and

Irun Irun (, ) is a town of the Bidasoaldea region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. History It lies on the foundations of the ancient Oiasso, cited as a Roman- Vasconic town. During the Spanish Civil War, ...

, the site being designated ''Wetland of International Importance'' in 2002, with a total area of . The banks of Hondarribia hold the minor '' San Sebastian Airport'' serving domestic flights and currently mired in controversy over its lengthening and upgrading scheme.

Pronunciation and etymology

The river comprises an area of linguistic contact, so it is pronounced differently depending on the language, namely in

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

, in Spanish, and in French. Linguistic and historic research point to the name stemming from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

phrase "Via ad Oiassonem" (later corrupting into Basque "Bidasoa") on account of the road that linked at Roman times

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

town Pompaelo with Oiasso, which may have run along the river.

Course of the river and tributaries

The Bidasoa flows through much of its length over

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

se territory, except for the last , where it establishes the borderline between France and Spain, as well as the boundary between the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

provinces of

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...

and

Labourd Labourd (; ; ; ) is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques '' département'' of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial component pa ...

. In line with the distribution of the river's length, the bulk of its watershed's area lies on

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

(). The basin holds 105 permanent streams and rivers that number , the region being drenched in rains regularly. The Navarrese side of the basin (rural landscape) is inhabited by 22,000 inhabitants. 70% of its population have the sewage treated before spilling to the river. But for the first 15-odd kilometres, the river clings to the north to south disposition of other neighbouring rivers of Gipuzkoa joining the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

, e.g. Urumea, Oria, etc. Strengthened by the waters harvested from the sides of the pass of Belate, downstream of Doneztebe the river heads north and crosses the town of Bera at the north end of Navarre before entering Gipuzkoa at Endarlatsa. From the town of Doneztebe on, the main road N-121 runs along till the roundabout across the river from the toll of Biriatu by the AP-8 (motorway). Next comes the quarter Behobia and the major towns on the shores of the estuary. The main tributaries of the Bidasoa are the minor rivers Zeberia (length ), Ezkurra (), Latsa () and Endara (). Additionally, further small rivers and streams feed the Bidasoa all along.

Fishing and environmental challenges

Cohaya on the Bidassoa 1824 Edward Hawke Locker

The Navarrese tract of the river is a preferred destination for fishing enthusiasts, the river being home to several native fish species, namely eel (''Anguilla anguilla''),

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

(''Salmo palar''),

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

(''Salmo trutta''), bullhead (''Cottus gobio''), ''Barbatula barbatula'', '' Phoxinus phoxinus'', gudgeon (''Gobio lozanoi''), sea lamprey (''Petromyzon marinus''),

allis shad The allis shad (''Alosa alosa'') is a widespread Northeast Atlantic species of fish in the Alosidae, Alosidae family. It is an Fish migration, anadromous fish which migrates into fresh water to spawn. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, ...

(''Alosa alosa''),

flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuary, estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related speci ...

(''Platichthys flesus'') and grey mullet (''Chelon labrosus''), some of them declared endangered species and highly interesting (especially bullhead and salmon). Moreover, a species of the

Ebro The Ebro (Spanish and Basque ; , , ) is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain. It rises in Cantabria and flows , almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a de ...

, '' Chondrostoma miegii'', has been introduced in the last 30–40 years on the lower tract of the Bidasoa, thereafter extending gradually upstream. As a result, overfishing has become a major problem for the river's fauna, with special pressure put on salmon migrating upstream to spawn. They do not make it to their goal and die before spawning, either falling prey to fishers' bait or an inability to overcome hydroelectric power stations (128 over all the course) and the 114 related dams, since 63% of them prevent migratory fish from achieving their purpose. Schemes by the Regional Government of Navarre are underway with a view to handling the issue.

Footnotes

References

Report on the Environmental State of the Bidasoa by the Basque Regional Govt (site in Spanish)Report for Correction Measures on the Bidasoa (link to Pdf, site in Spanish)Briefing on the Bidasoa by an Agency of the Navarrese Regional Govt (site in Spanish)
*Bidaso
Txingudi
{{Authority control Bidasoa Rivers of Navarre Rivers of the Basque Country (autonomous community) International rivers of Europe Landforms of Gipuzkoa France–Spain border Rivers of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Rivers of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Rivers of Spain Border rivers

Pronunciation and etymology

Course of the river and tributaries

Fishing and environmental challenges

See also

Footnotes

References