Dozens of incidents have been reported so far this year involving groups of killer whales and boats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal.
A killer whale has severely damaged a sailing vessel off the coast of southern Spain, local sea rescuers say, adding to dozens of attacks by killer whales on vessels recorded so far this year off the coasts of Spain and Portugal. announced.
The incident comes after at least 20 small boat-orca contact in the Strait of Gibraltar this month alone, according to the Atlantic Orca Working Group (GTOA), which tracks the population of the Iberian killer whale subspecies. Occurred.
Early Thursday morning, a pod of killer whales rammed the Mustique en route to Gibraltar, breaking its rudder and impaling it on its hull. The sailor’s four crew sought help from Spanish authorities and contacted a salvage spokesman. Said the service.
Rescuers sent a rapid response vessel and a helicopter with a bilge pump to assist the 20-meter (66-foot) vessel, which was sailing under the British flag, a spokesman said.
The Mustique was towed to Barbate, Cadiz, Spain for repairs.
The incident comes after at least 20 interactions between small craft and highly social apex predators in the Strait of Gibraltar this month alone. According to GTOA data, in 2022 he will have 207 reported interactions.
Two ships were in contact yesterday, one being towed north of Tangier and the other sailing south of Barbate. But now, a third ship is entering the area and seems to be in trouble.See maps and traffic lights in app (GT Orcas) and web https://t.co/GUq8icOtkX
— Orca Iberica GTOA (@Orca_Iberica) May 24, 2023
Known as killer whales, endangered killer whales are related to dolphins. It can grow up to 8 meters (26 feet) in length and weigh up to 6 tons as an adult.
Earlier this month, the sailing yacht Alborin Champagne was similarly impacted by three killer whales half a nautical mile off Barbate. Her ship was completely submerged and could not be towed, drifting and sinking.
A 2021 study of orca-ship interactions in the Strait of Gibraltar found that in 2020, several orcas began exhibiting destructive behavior towards boats. Most of them were sailing vessels, but fishing vessels and motorboats were also involved.
“The animals rammed, pushed and turned the boat,” the report said, noting that 14 killer whales, most of them juveniles, were identified as doing so. .
“The behavior of killer whales when in contact with boats is not considered aggressive,” the report states.
“While it is not yet clear what the origin of these interactions is, they may be curious and playful behaviors, which may be self-induced or, conversely, aversive. It is also conceivable that behavior induced by emotion is an “incident and therefore preventative behavior,” the report said.
Guidelines issued by the Spanish Ministry of Transport state that if a ship observes a change in orca behavior, such as a sudden change in direction or speed, it should leave the area as soon as possible so as not to further disrupt the orca’s journey. I have decided.
The ministry added that any interaction between the ship and the killer whales must be reported to authorities.
