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“We were able to identify three individuals, all of them young, who may be in a game attitude. The boats attract animals, who touch them, provoking reactions and even moving the boat, which is curious to them, “said marine biologist Rute Esteban.
With a doctorate in killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Gibraltar, the Spanish specialist said that there are “old reports” of animals that “came into contact with ships”, but the difference now is that “it is a repetitive behavior”.
The meetings began in summer and there are around 30 reports on almost the entire Iberian Atlantic coast, from Gibraltar (in the south) to La Coruña (in the north), the last of which was recorded in the early morning of November 14 against to Sines. when a boat with three crew members on board had to be towed by the Maritime Police after a group of killer whales damaged the rudder, while sailing 30 nautical miles (about 55 kilometers) from the coast.
Rute Esteban pointed out that the rudder “is one of the most fragile elements of ships”, it is easily damaged, and that only with the collection of quality images can it be understood what really happened underwater.
The biologist Francisco Martinho makes a comparison of the behavior of young killer whales with “dogs that chase cars”Therefore, the recommendation is “stop the engine, lower the sails, which ends the ‘chase'”. A recommendation also made by the National Maritime Authority.
According to the biologist, the images “with a certain quality” obtained in the Galician area allowed the identification and naming of the three specimens: two most active, “Branca” and “Negra” -which has “a monumental cut on the head” – and “Gray”, who “appears to be older, acting as a mere accomplice.” Francisco Martinho said that it was not possible to assess “the age, nor the origin” of the three animals, considering that they may be part of one of the groups in Gibraltar.
Elio Vicente, head of the Zoomarine Refuge Port, told Lusa that the recorded incidents “are not predatory behavior” and recalled that the “biosonation” of these animals “allows them to know perfectly well that the object is not food.”
For the marine biologist, the hypothesis of being a “negative reaction”, since some of these animals could have been “rammed by boats” when they were on the surface, “is very unlikely”.
The encounters between orcas and boats led to the creation of an informal group of biologists and cetacean scholars from different research groups that seek to exchange information and find an explanation for these incidents.
Sara Magalhães, owner of a whale watching company and one of the group’s members, referred to the existence of “five well-known” families of killer whales that feed on tuna in Gibraltar, the annual spawning gate for tuna. in the Mediterranean Sea. The migration of their main food makes the area a “spectacular place” for orcas to feed, following the schools along the Atlantic coast, the biologist said.
Despite being “well studied” populations, there is no certainty about the origin of the three individuals who, according to specialists, are responsible for the incidents with boats.
Sara Magalhães said that there were incidents in 2018 and 2019 in the Sagres area with “two hatchlings that became entangled in cables” pointing out the trap lines (fishing traps) and that they had to be rescued because they were at risk of drowning. it may indicate “behavior of great curiosity.”
Elio Vicente reinforced the need to “continue following” the reports and obtain images that allow us to see “the fluidity of behavior, the approach and the way in which the different animals are organized in interaction with the rudder” or other structures of the boats.
In case of a possible encounter, the expert recommends “caution, avoid negative interactions, warn the authorities, do not enter the water and minimize the motivation of the animals to continue the interactions, adopting the most passive attitude possible”, to reduce the as much as possible the sound and visual stimuli that can arouse the curiosity of the animals, he concluded.
Orcas, mammals of the dolphin family, reach, in adulthood, sizes between five and eight meters in length and are social animals with very cohesive family structures.
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