Orcas damage a boat in the latest incident involving orcas off the coast of Spain | Environment News

So far this year, dozens of incidents involving groups of orcas and boats have been reported off the Spanish and Portuguese coasts.

Orcas severely damaged a sailing ship off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service said, adding to dozens of orca attacks on vessels off the Spanish and Portuguese coasts so far this year. .

The incident follows at least 20 interactions this month alone in the Strait of Gibraltar between small boats and orcas, according to the Atlantic Orca Working Group-GTOA, which tracks populations of the Iberian killer whale subspecies.

In the early hours of Thursday morning, a group of orcas broke the rudder and pierced the hull after colliding with the Mustique while sailing towards Gibraltar, prompting the four crew members of the sailboat to contact the Spanish authorities in search of help, a sea rescue spokesman said. said the service.

The rescue service deployed a rapid response boat and a helicopter with a bilge pump to help the 20-meter (66-foot) vessel, which was flying under the UK flag, the spokesman said.

The Mustique was towed to the port of Barbate, in the Spanish province of Cádiz, for repair.

The incident follows at least 20 interactions this month alone in the Strait of Gibraltar between small vessels and the highly social apex predators. In 2022, there were 207 reported interactions, the GTOA data showed.

Two ships interacted yesterday, one north of Tangier, towed, and the other south of Barbate. But at this moment a third ship is entering the area and seems to be having difficulties. Check maps and traffic lights in the app (GT Orcas) and on the web https://t.co/GUq8icOtkX

— Iberian Orca GTOA (@Orca_Iberica) May 24, 2023

Although known as killer whales, the endangered orcas are part of the dolphin family. They can measure up to 8 meters (26 feet) and weigh up to six tons as adults.

Earlier this month, the Alborán Champagne sailboat suffered a similar impact from three killer whales half a nautical mile (less than 1 km) from Barbate. The ship could not be towed as she was completely awash and she was left adrift to sink.

A study published in 2021 on orca interactions with ships in the Strait of Gibraltar said that a number of orcas began displaying disruptive behavior towards ships in 2020; most were sailing ships, but also involved fishing boats and motorboats.

“The animals collided with, pushed and flipped the boats,” the report stated, noting that 14 individual orcas, most of them juveniles, had been identified with such behavior.

“The behavior of killer whales when interacting with boats is not identified as aggressive,” the report states.

“We are not yet clear about the origin of these interactions, but it is still suspected that it could be curious and playful behavior, that it could be self-induced, or on the contrary, it could be behavior induced by an aversive incident and, therefore, , a precautionary behavior,” the report states.

The guidelines issued by the Spanish Ministry of Transport stipulate that whenever boats observe any alteration in the behavior of orcas, such as sudden changes in direction or speed, they should leave the area as soon as possible and avoid further disturbing the animals during maneuvers. .

Every interaction between a ship and an orca must be reported to the authorities, the ministry added.