A new version of a hyperbenthic sledge with four superposed nets was used from 346 m to 3070 m depth in the southern part of the Bay of Biscay. This gear collects the near-bottom swimming macrofauna. The dominant zoological groups are asellot isopods and gammaridean amphipods. Two types of animal density gradient are observed: a vertically decreasing gradient from the lower to the upper level of the sledge at each station; and a depth-related decreasing gradient from the upper continental slope to the lowest stations in the Cap Ferret Canyon. Three different assemblages can be distinguished: between 346 m and 523 m on muddy sand; between 600 m and 1100 m on mud; and in Cap Ferret Canyon between 3040 m and 3070 m on mud. These results are compared with similar data on deep hyperbenthic communities from other areas of the northeastern Atlantic.