The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is also called the "Biscay whale" or "Basque whale," a name derived from the Basque fishermen who, in the 15th century, systematically hunted it in the Bay of Biscay when it approached the coast to breed. In Biarritz, Bidart, Guéthary, and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, this whaling practice flourished, as it was so beneficial to everyone involved. To catch the cetaceans, scouts patrolled aboard a small boat called a txalupa (Basque skiff). The captains of the txalupas, each of which generally carried six oarsmen and a harpooner, ordered their crew to row quickly but discreetly toward the cetaceans that surfaced or had fallen asleep.
The Basques drove it further and further offshore from the coast because of its high oil content and long baleen plates. Treated in this way, the slow-moving black whale had almost entirely disappeared a century later, and paradoxically, its survival was due solely to its rarity.

Acrylic paint and Posca markers on varnished teak wood