It is estimated that a pod of around 15 orcas are responible for most of these attacks. Credit: Kertu- Shutterstock
Last summer saw the first recorded sighting of an orca in the Costa Del Sol region, and Spanish oceanologists predict it will become more common in the coming years.
Many potential explanations have circulated for this uncharacteristic migration of Orcas, including that they are following the movements into the Mediterranean of their prey, Bluefin Tuna. The tuna normally congregate this time of year off the coast of Cadiz and the Straight of Gibraltar before heading farther north to the Cantabrian Sea for winter.
With many other species, this might be something to celebrate, as with whales or dolphins, where people will pay money to go out on boats in the hopes of seeing them. Orcas have developed the concerning habit of attacking smaller vessels, even sinking a yacht off the coast of Morocco in 2024.
Growing Trend
The event was not a one-off; however, since May 2020, researchers have found over 700 instances of killer whales ramming boats.
Carlos Baez of the Spanish Oceanological Institute´s Malaga Centre is one of a growing number of experts who espouse the hypothesis that killer whales are attacking these boats because they see them as a threat after a supposed interaction with a boat that injured an orca.
“The killer whale is a wild predatory animal, and it is not going to risk a serious injury that could result in death.” said Baez “A lion does not injure itself by playing, and neither do they,”
With this lack of irritating noise, orcas were more likely to approach and even circle smaller fishing vessels, hoping to score an easy catch from fish falling overboard or stealing them from their nets. This hypothesis explains that killer whales in the group experienced an event where they felt threatened by the boat or potentially by the fishing nets dragged behind them, and so they have acquired the behaviour of ramming these vessels small enough to attack without hurting themselves.
Divided opinions
However, not all marine scientists share this view of why orcas are expressing this behavior. Hanne Stager, marine biologist and author of The Killer Whales Journals, argues this behaviour is based on something more benign.
“They may think it’s fun—like kicking a ball onto a lawn to see what happens,” said Stager “But for the people who are experiencing this on their multimillion-dollar boat, it’s not fun, it’s not play. It’s pretty scary.”
Stager also claims to have spoken with a crew member of the vessel that sank in May, who noted that after the boat sank, the Orcas did not stick around to look for prey in the water, they simply swam off. Whichever is the cause, be it one, the other, or a mixture of both, Manuel Durán, president of the Association of Recreational Boat Owners of Benalmádena, advises sailboats and other small vessels to sail closer to shore to mitigate the risk of damage to boats or a sinking.
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Written by
Tristan Kirkland
Hey everyone! I was born in Utah, United States, where I lived most of my life, before moving to Madrid when I was 17. I lived there for 7 years, graduating from Saint Louis University’s Madrid Campus in Journalism before Joining Euro Weekly News! Leave me a comment to tell me what you thought of the story!
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