The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) is also called the "Biscay whale" or "Basque whale", due to the Basque fishermen who systematically attacked it in the 15th century in the Bay of Biscay when it approached the coast to reproduce. In Biarritz, Bidart, Guéthary or Saint-Jean-de-Luz, this whaling is developing, as it is beneficial for everyone. To catch the cetaceans, scouts patrolled aboard a small boat called a txalupa (Basque rowboat). The skippers of the txalupas, each of which generally carried six rowers and a harpooner, ordered their crew to row quickly but discreetly towards the cetaceans that were coming to the surface or had fallen asleep.
The Basques chased it further and further out to sea from the coast because of its rich oil content and long baleen. Thus treated, the slow-moving black whale had almost completely disappeared a century later, and paradoxically owed its survival only to its rarity.

Acrylic paint and Posca on varnished teak wood