Iberian orca attacks

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Beginning in 2020, a subpopulation of orcas (Orcinus orca) began ramming boats and attacking their rudders in waters off the Iberian Peninsula. The behaviour has generally been directed towards slow-moving, medium-sized sailboats in the Strait of Gibraltar and off the Portuguese, Moroccan and Galician coasts. The novel behaviour is thought to have spread between different pods, with over 500 reported interactions from 2020 to 2023 attributed to fifteen different individual orcas (the exact number is still debated between certain scientists).

Contents

Background

The Iberian orca subpopulation migrates along the Iberian coast, from the Strait of Gibraltar up to the Galician coast Espana y Portugal.jpg
The Iberian orca subpopulation migrates along the Iberian coast, from the Strait of Gibraltar up to the Galician coast

The Iberian orca subpopulation lives in the coastal waters of the Iberian Peninsula and is genetically distinct from other orca populations in the Northeast Atlantic. [1] The orcas follow the seasonal migration of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), their primary food source, gathering in the early spring in the Strait of Gibraltar. Through the summer, they remain in the Strait before travelling north along the coast of Portugal and Spain's Galicia, then head to deeper waters in the fall. While orcas typically engage in persistence hunting, two of the residential orca pods have been seen taking fish from Moroccan and Spanish fishery droplines. [2]

A complete census of the Iberian orca subpopulation was undertaken in 2011, finding 39 members divided into five pods. The subpopulation was listed as endangered by the Spanish National Catalogue of Endangered Species the same year [2] and as critically endangered in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List in 2019. [1]

The Gladises

Fifteen individual Iberian orcas involved in the interactions have been identified through photography and witness descriptions. Each of the orcas involved in incidents and having contact with vessels was given the designation Gladis. Iberian orcas are given the designation Gladis to indicate that they have been involved in interactions with ships. The name "Gladis" is a reference to the old scientific name for orcas, Orcinus gladiator, which means "whale-fighter" in Latin.

In a 2022 journal article analysing photographic evidence and testimonies from the incidents, 31 distinct orcas were identified, nine of which had direct contact with vessels and were given the designation Gladis. Two pods of orcas were identified, one including the adult Gladis Blanca (White Gladis), her offspring, Gladis Filabres (b. 2021), [3] and her sisters, Gladis Dalila and Gladis Clara. Gladis Blanca's mother, Gladis Lamari, was also observed but never approached the vessel. [1] The second residential pod consists of three juveniles, Gladis Gris (Grey Gladis) and the siblings Gladis Peque and Gladis Negra (Black Gladis), as well as their mother Gladis Herbille, who was also occasionally observed during the interactions but did not participate. [1] By 2023, the number of Gladises had increased to 15. [4]

Method of attack

In interactions where orcas have come in physical contact with vessels, the pod typically approaches stealthily from the stern. Contact with the vessels includes ramming, nudging, and biting, usually focusing on the rudder. Orcas have been observed using their heads to push the rudder or using their bodies to make lever movements, causing the rotation of the rudder and "in some cases pivoting the boat almost 360°". [1] Inspection of vessels reporting physical contact revealed that orcas had raked their teeth against the bow, keel, and rudders. More seriously damaged rudders were split in half, completely detached, or bent at their stocks. [1] At least one orca has been observed tearing off a boat rudder with its teeth. [2]

Monohulled sailing vessels are the most frequent targets of the orcas, with yachts, catamarans, and vessels with spade rudders being the types most often attacked and damaged. The vessels reporting interactions have been an average of 12 metres in length and were travelling, on average, at 5.93 knots, a speed easily matched by orcas. [1] Interactions between the orcas and vessels have occurred most frequently during the day, peaking around midday, and usually last for less than half an hour, though engagements up to two hours have been reported. Attempts by crews to control the wheel or increase the speed of their vessel have often resulted in more frequent and forceful pushes from the orcas. The orcas usually lose interest after the human crews slow or stop their vessels. [1]

History of interactions

Since 2020, there have been around 500 recorded interactions between orcas and vessels. [5] Over 250 boats have been damaged by the orcas and four vessels have sunk. [6] [7] The frequency of attacks has increased over time. From July until November 2020, 52 orca interactions were reported. The behaviour continued into 2021, with another 197 interactions recorded, and into 2022, with 207 interactions. [8] [1] [9] Researchers from the Atlantic Orca Working Group reported that only 20 percent of vessels having physical interactions with the orcas had been severely damaged. [10] No humans have been harmed during any of the interactions. [11]

The first reported orca-boat interaction occurred in the Strait of Gibraltar in May 2020. Other incidents were reported in July of that year, both in the Strait and off the coast of Portugal. Later in mid-August, interactions between orcas and vessels were observed in northern Spain, off of Galicia. [1]

Sunken vessels

A sailboat with five passengers sank following an orca encounter in July 2022. Another sailboat with four people aboard sank in November 2022. [12]

During an incident in the Strait of Gibraltar on 4 May 2023, the Swiss sailing yacht Champagne was running under engine when it was set upon by three orcas. The larger orca rammed the vessel from the side, while two smaller orcas shook the rudder. The rudder was pierced and had two holes and the quadrant was broken off. A crewmember reported that the two smaller orcas were copying the behaviour of the larger one, ramming into the rudder and the keel. The crew was rescued by the Spanish coast guard and the vessel was towed to the port of Barbate, where it capsized at the entrance. [5] [13]

On 31 October 2023, the yacht Grazie Mamma II had an encounter with a pod of orcas. The orcas interacted with the yacht for 45 minutes, bumping against the blade of the rudder, causing damage and leaks. No humans were harmed and the vessel sank near the entrance to the port of Tanger-Med. [14] [7]

On 12 May 2024, the Spanish yacht Alboran Cognac was attacked by orcas and holed. Both people on board were rescued by a tanker. The yacht consequently sank in the Strait of Gibraltar. [15]

In a similar incident, orcas attacked and sank the British sailing yacht Bonhomie William in the Strait of Gibraltar on 26 July, 2024. All three people onboard were rescued by Spanish coastguards. [16]

North Sea incident

An incident involving an orca ramming a yacht in the North Sea near Shetland occurred in June 2023. The interaction led to speculation that the Iberian orca behaviour was "leapfrogging through the various pods/communities". [17]

Possible motivations

Orcas are social learners, passing knowledge such as hunting techniques horizontally, to peers, and vertically, from mother to offspring. Madre hijo de orca en el Estrecho.jpg
Orcas are social learners, passing knowledge such as hunting techniques horizontally, to peers, and vertically, from mother to offspring.

An article in Marine Mammal Science published in 2022 [1] suggested various possible motivations for the orca behaviour. The interactions may be playful, and a result of the marine mammals' natural curiosity. Researcher Deborah Giles said that orcas are "incredibly curious and playful animals and so this might be more of a play thing as opposed to an aggressive thing." [5] Gibraltar-based marine biologist Eric Shaw argued that the orcas were displaying protective behaviours and were intentionally targeting the rudder with the understanding that it would immobilize the vessel, just as attacking the tail of a prey animal would immobilize it, a documented predation behaviour. [18] [19] [20] The behaviour could also be the result of a combination of factors including disturbances created by vessels, depletion of the orcas' prey and interaction with fisheries. [1]

A third possibility is that the behaviour was triggered by a "punctual aversive incident", such as one of the orcas colliding with a vessel and sustaining injuries. [1]

Researchers have also suggested that the behaviour could be a fad. Other such cultural phenomena among orcas have been short-lived, such as in 1987 when southern resident orcas from Puget Sound carried dead salmon around on their heads. [21] [22]

CIRCE Conservación Information and Research coordinator Renaud de Stephanis suggested that the orcas break the rudder out of frustration, preferring the sensation of the propeller when a sailboat is running its engine. [23]

Human response

The rate of orca-boat interactions and their dispersal prompted the formation in August 2020 of a working group for the issue, the Atlantic Orca Working Group (Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica; GTOA). [1] A Facebook group, Orca Attack Reports, was created to facilitate the sharing of information about the interactions. [24]

Radio warnings have been issued alerting vessels to the orcas' presence and suggesting keeping a distance. In 2020 and 2021, authorities from the Spanish Maritime Traffic Security briefly prohibited sailing vessels under 15 metres from navigation along the coast where interactions had occurred. [25]

The development and testing of acoustic deterrents to dissuade the orcas was announced by the Portuguese National Association of Cruise Ships (Associação Nacional de Cruzeiros) in 2023. [26] [11]

Media outlets have sensationalised the incidents, often providing anthropomorphic rationales for the orca behaviour. Many have attributed the incidents to being revenge for some kind of wrong inflicted on one of the orcas, usually White Gladis. [27] Social media reactions have included the generation of memes related to an "orca-uprising" or "orca wars", with some observers calling the behaviour "an act of anti-capitalist solidarity from 'orca comrades' and 'orca saboteurs'". [28] [29]

In 2023, the Spanish government planned to satellite tag six orcas involved in these attacks, in order to track their movements and minimize further interactions. [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orca</span> Largest living species of dolphin

The orca, or killer whale, is a toothed whale that is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus. Orcas are recognizable by their black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, they are found in diverse marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strait of Gibraltar</span> Strait connecting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean

The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles at its narrowest point. Ferries cross between the two continents every day in as little as 35 minutes. The Strait's depth ranges between 300 and 900 metres.

<i>Orcinus</i> Genus of oceanic mammals

Orcinus is a genus of Delphinidae, the family of carnivorous marine mammals known as dolphins. It includes the largest delphinid species, Orcinus orca, known as the orca or killer whale. Two extinct species are recognised, Orcinus paleorca and O. citoniensis, describing fossilised remains of the genus. The other extinct species O. meyeri is disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">False killer whale</span> Species of oceanic dolphin in the genus Pseudorca

The false killer whale is a species of oceanic dolphin that is the only extant representative of the genus Pseudorca. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly in tropical regions. It was first described in 1846 as a species of porpoise based on a skull, which was revised when the first carcasses were observed in 1861. The name "false killer whale" comes from having a skull similar to the orca, or killer whale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cetacean surfacing behaviour</span> Cetacean movement types

Cetacean surfacing behaviour is a grouping of movement types that cetaceans make at the water's surface in addition to breathing. Cetaceans have developed and use surface behaviours for many functions such as display, feeding and communication. All regularly observed members of the order Cetacea, including whales, dolphins and porpoises, show a range of surfacing behaviours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Tom (orca)</span> Killer whale known to Australian whalers

Old Tom was a male orca who cooperated with and assisted whalers in the port of Eden, New South Wales, on the southeast coast of Australia. Old Tom was believed to be the leader of a pod of orcas which helped the whalers by herding baleen whales into Twofold Bay. This pod was also known as "the killers of Eden".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carousel feeding</span> Cooperative hunting method used by some cetaceans

Carousel feeding is a cooperative hunting method used by Norwegian orcas to capture wintering Norwegian spring-spawning herring. The term carousel feeding was first used to describe a similar hunting behaviour in bottlenose dolphins in the Black Sea. There are two main phases of carousel feeding in orcas, the herding phase and the feeding phase. In the herding phase the orcas surround a school of herring and herd them into a tight ball. They tighten the ball by blowing bubbles, flashing their white underside and slapping their tails on the surface. They move the ball of herring toward the surface of the water before initiating the feeding phase. During the feeding phase several orcas begin to eat while the others continue herding the fish to maintain the ball. The feeding orcas whip their tails into the ball to stun and kill several herring at a time. The dead and stunned herring are then consumed and their heads and spines discarded.

Orcas are large, powerful aquatic apex predators. There have been incidents where orcas were perceived to attack humans in the wild, but such attacks are less common than those by captive orcas. In captivity, there have been several non-fatal and four fatal attacks on humans since the 1970s. Experts are divided as to whether the injuries and deaths were accidental or deliberate attempts to cause harm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luna (orca)</span> Male orca notable for human contact in Nootka Sound (1999–2006)

L98 Luna also known as Tsux'iit, was an orca born in Puget Sound. After being separated from his mother, Splash (1985–2008) while still young, Luna spent five years in Nootka Sound, an ocean inlet of western Vancouver Island, where he had extensive human contact and became recognized internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springer (orca)</span> Wild Female orca from the Northern Resident community (born c. 2000)

Springer, officially named A73, is a wild orca from the Northern Resident Community of orcas, which frequents the waters off the northern part of Vancouver Island every summer. In January 2002, Springer, then a calf developmentally equivalent to a human toddler, was discovered alone and emaciated some 250 miles from the territory of her family. Experts identified Springer by her vocal calls that are specific to her family, or "pod," and by examining photographs of her eye patch. They were also able to determine where Springer's pod was currently located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captive orcas</span> Orcas held in confinement

Dozens of orcas are held in captivity for breeding or performance purposes. The practice of capturing and displaying orcas in exhibitions began in the 1960s, and they soon became popular attractions at public aquariums and aquatic theme parks due to their intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness, and sheer size. As of 24 March 2024, around 55 orcas are in captivity worldwide, 33 of which were captive-born. At that time, there were 18 orcas in the SeaWorld parks.

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Ingrid Natasha Visser is a New Zealand marine biologist who studies orcas. She regularly lectures on the subject aboard cruise ships, especially in Antarctica, and has been featured in several documentaries about orcas.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern resident orcas</span> Community of orcas in the North Pacific Ocean

The southern resident orcas, also known as the southern resident killer whales (SRKW), are the smallest of four communities of the exclusively fish-eating ecotype of orca in the northeast Pacific Ocean. The southern resident orcas form a closed society with no emigration or dispersal of individuals, and no gene flow with other orca populations. The fish-eating ecotype was historically given the name 'resident,' but other ecotypes named 'transient' and 'offshore' are also resident in the same area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granny (orca)</span> Resident orca known for her long life

Granny, also known as J2, was a female orca of the J pod of southern resident orcas notable for her long life. Early estimates placed her birth in 1911, putting her at 105 years old at the time of her death. However, this estimate was later theorized to have been based on mistaken information and more recent studies put her at 65–80 years old. If she was 105, she would have been the oldest known orca at the time of her death. Granny lived in the northeast Pacific Ocean and coastal bays of Washington state and British Columbia. She was last seen on October 12, 2016, and was considered deceased by The Center for Whale Research in January 2017.

Lance Barrett-Lennard is a Canadian biologist specializing in the behavioural ecology and population biology of killer whales. A molecular geneticist, Barrett-Lennard uses DNA analysis to study the dispersal, mating habits, and group structure of killer whale sub-populations in the Pacific Northwest. He is best known for his research concerning the conservation of the Southern Resident killer whale sub-population. As of 2022, he is a Senior Scientist in the Cetacean Conservation Research Program at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

Northern resident orcas, also known as northern resident killer whales (NRKW), are one of four separate, non-interbreeding communities of the exclusively fish-eating ecotype of orca in the northeast portion of the North Pacific Ocean. They live primarily off the coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada, and also travel to southeastern Alaska and northern Washington state in the United States. The northern resident population consists of three clans that consists of several pods with one or more matrilines within each pod. The northern residents are genetically distinct from the southern resident orcas and their calls are also quite distinct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orca types and populations</span>

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Moby Doll, who in 1964 in British Columbia became the second ever captive orca, was the first orca to be studied scientifically at close quarters alive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salish Sea orcas</span> Populations of whales off North America

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References

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  6. ↑ Heath, Victoria (13 June 2023). "Study explains why Orcas are attacking boats in the Strait of Gibraltar". DIVE Magazine. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  7. 1 2 Kwai, Isabella (7 November 2023). "Orcas Sink Fourth Boat Off Iberia, Unnerving Sailors". The New York Times.
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  9. ↑ Gregory, Andy (27 May 2023), "Gladis the killer whale and her gang of orcas, out for revenge on the yachts of Gibraltar", The Independent, archived from the original on 28 May 2023, retrieved 8 July 2023
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  11. 1 2 Leffer, Lauren (27 June 2023). "New Orca Defenses Are in Development". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
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  14. ↑ "Las orcas hundieron al yate Grazie Mamma, frente a Tánger Med". Campo de Gibraltar Siglo XXI (in Spanish). 3 November 2023.
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  16. ↑ Keeley, Graham (26 July 2024). "Orcas sink British yacht in Strait of Gibraltar". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  17. ↑ Heath, Victoria (24 June 2023). "Orca attacks yacht off Shetland". DIVE Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  18. ↑ "Dr Eric Shaw's take on attacks by killer whales documented recently in the Strait of Gibraltar". www.helpinghand.gi. Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  19. ↑ Ferguson, Steven H.; Higdon, Jeff W.; Westdal, Kristin H. (2012-01-30). "Prey items and predation behavior of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Nunavut, Canada based on Inuit hunter interviews". Aquatic Biosystems. 8 (1): 3. Bibcode:2012AqBio...8....3F. doi: 10.1186/2046-9063-8-3 . ISSN   2046-9063. PMC   3310332 . PMID   22520955.
  20. ↑ Willoughby, Amy L.; Stimmelmayr, Raphaela; Brower, Amelia A.; Clarke, Janet T.; Ferguson, Megan C. (2022-04-01). "Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) and killer whale (Orcinus orca) co-occurrence in the eastern Chukchi Sea, 2009–2019: evidence from gray whale carcasses observed during aerial surveys". Polar Biology. 45 (4): 737–748. Bibcode:2022PoBio..45..737W. doi:10.1007/s00300-022-03015-6. ISSN   1432-2056. S2CID   253807808. Archived from the original on 2023-07-08. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
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  22. ↑ Whitehead, Hal; Rendell, Luke; Osborne, Richard W; Würsig, Bernd (December 2004). "Culture and conservation of non-humans with reference to whales and dolphins: review and new directions". Biological Conservation. 120 (3): 427–437. Bibcode:2004BCons.120..427W. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.03.017.
  23. ↑ Neuman, Scott (13 June 2023). "Revenge of the killer whales? Recent boat attacks might be driven by trauma". NPR. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  24. ↑ "Orca Interactions - What You Need To Know". Cruising Association. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  25. ↑ Cater, Deborah (10 August 2021). "Spain bans small boats in stretch of water as orcas interact". InSpain.news. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  26. ↑ "Testado em águas portuguesas aparelho acústico para dissuadir interações com orcas". CNN Portugal (in Portuguese). Lusa News Agency. 25 June 2023. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  27. ↑ Carty, Magan (3 July 2023). "Orcas are ramming into boats, but experts warn against calling it revenge on humans". CBC. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  28. ↑ Alex, Daniel (21 June 2023). "Orca uprising: Why are killer whales sinking boats? | indy100". Indy100. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  29. ↑ Grandoni, Dino (28 May 2023). "Why orcas keep sinking boats". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  30. ↑ "A new Ecological Transition project will promote the tagging of killer whales to reduce interaction with vessels". La Moncloa. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
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