The Orca Situation

Gibraltar & El Campo
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They capture images of a sailboat shooting at a group of orcas in the Strait.

(Video at the link above)

The animal rights party PACMA will request intervention from the authorities after a video emerged showing the occupants of a sailboat firing shots at a group of orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar.

The political party's response is one of many that have occurred throughout the morning following the release of a video depicting the incident, which took place yesterday afternoon in waters near Tarifa. The aggression was captured by the occupants of a cetacean-watching vessel, who had previously radioed the sailboat to inform them of their proximity to an orca pod.

At that moment, as the animals approached the boat, the occupants responded with several rounds of projectile shots, the type of which has yet to be determined.

The images clearly show the moment when the shots begin and how the crew of the tourist vessel shouts at them to stop.

In a statement, PACMA condemned the incident and reminded that orcas are categorised as a vulnerable species in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species (CEEA), making any action aimed at killing, capturing, pursuing, or disturbing them prohibited.

Incidents of orcas interacting with sailboats in the Strait have been causing problems recently, and the reason behind their actions toward the sailboats is being investigated through various ongoing projects aimed at studying their behaviour in the area.

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Located in Almeria, the crew members who shot an orca in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar.

The Civil Guard has identified the crew members of the vessel who fired shots at an orca in an area near the Strait of Gibraltar. The investigation was initiated after gaining knowledge through internal channels and the 'viralization of a video on social media,' in which the occupants of a catamaran 'fired several shots' at the animal.

The agents were able to determine that these individuals were heading to a port in Almería. For this reason, agents from the Seprona (Nature Protection Service) and the Provincial Maritime Service established a surveillance and control operation of the territorial waters and ports in this province, as reported by the Civil Guard in a press release.

As a result of the operation, the agents located the said vessel in the port of Almerimar (El Ejido), and therefore proceeded to identify the occupants. Likewise, a search of the boat was carried out for pyrotechnic, explosive, or any other potentially usable items, although 'no further items were found.'

The crew, who are circumnavigating the world, 'acknowledge the events and show complete cooperation,' thereby 'providing all kinds of documentation and boat registration.'

On the part of the Seprona, a criminal investigation was initiated to determine if the events could constitute an offense under the Penal Code, as well as an administrative violation for the captain of the vessel and the person who used the pyrotechnic device to deter the protected species.

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A commercial sailing yacht that was cruising through the Strait of Gibraltar sank near the Moroccan coastline after it was damaged by a group of orcas earlier this week.

Polish tour agency Morskie Mile posted about the incident that took place on October 31 on its website and social media pages.

This has come as a surprise for those studying the behaviour of the cetaceans in these waters as it comes outside of the Bluefin tuna breeding season, when such interactions with orcas are normally recorded.

On its Facebook page, Morskie Mile, said on Wednesday: “Our yacht was attacked by a herd of orcas in the early afternoon in the Strait of Gibraltar yesterday.”

“They hit the steering fin for 45 minutes, causing major damage and leakage.”

“Despite attempts to bring the yacht to the port by the Captain, crew and rescuers from the SAR, port tugs and the Moroccan Navy, the unit sunk near the entrance to the port of Tangier Med.”

“The crew is safe, unharmed and sound already in Spain.”

Orcas targeting and ramming into small sailing and fishing boats is a fairly new development over the past few years.

It is believed that one or two orcas started interacting with and subsequently damaging small sailing vessels in 2020 along the coast of Galicia and the Strait of Gibraltar.

But others have now “learnt” this behaviour with reports of similar collisions increasing each year.

Last August marine scientists recorded the first incident of an orca colliding with a sailboat in the Bay of Gibraltar.

During this incident, as reported at the time by this newspaper, the sailboat slowed down after it realised the cetacean was approaching, and only sustained external damage to the paint on the hull.

One of the reasons for orcas to venture into shallow waters is believed to be the presence of Bluefin tuna which is their main source of food.

But scientists studying the behaviour of orcas operating in the area cannot guarantee that the attacks on sailing boats are happening because the orcas are competing for food.

The latest attack on the tourism sailing yacht has come as a surprise as it has occurred months after the Bluefin tuna breeding season when they migrate from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea between April and May.

But local conservation charity, The Nautilus Project, told the Chronicle that there are still species of tuna in the Strait, in which case it is still a feeding ground for orcas.

The Nautilus Project launched a free app, Orcinus, for sailors navigating in the area to report on any orca sightings in the area.

Lewis Stagnetto, founder of the Nautilus Project, previously told the Chronicle some scientists believe the orcas are “honing their hunting skills” and practising with the boats’ rudders, while others believe fishing for tuna is “creating a pressure” for orcas to be able to find their main food source in the Strait.

In his role as a marine scientist, Mr Stagnetto has been posting videos on his social media to “bring perspective” to these interactions that have gained negative attention in the press.

“The pod that is based here in the Strait, as far as we know, there are eight or nine individuals, of which up to three of them are considered juveniles which means they are around five-years old,” Mr Stagnetto said.

“What the animals are doing is that they are playing, and remember they are apex predators that are used to hunting huge Bluefin tuna and they need to hone their skills in order to capture these tuna.”

“This is what they are doing with the boats.”

“Now I understand that from a sailor’s perspective this is a fairly scary experience but we have to keep in context what these animals are doing.”

“They are not out there to get people and it is really important that we all understand this.”

As for Morskie Mile, the company described the yacht that sunk as “the most wonderful thing in maritime sailing for all of us”.

“Long term friendships were formed on board,” the company said.

“We sailed on this yacht around the most beautiful places in Europe and the Atlantic archipelagos, trained numerous sea stewards, discovered the beautiful and the unknown, tasted Mediterranean specialties and sailed, sailed, sailed.”

“Our very good memories will be transferred to Grazie Mamma II.”

“Love for the sea always wins and the friendships remain with us.”

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The emergencies of recreational boats attended in Tarifa and Algeciras decrease by 46% in 2 years.

The emergencies attended by the coordination centres of Maritime Rescue in Tarifa and Algeciras related to recreational boats have experienced a significant decrease this summer. The period between June 15 and September 15, the time-frame Sasemar sets for its campaign on this type of boats, left 269 people and 97 boats attended to in the region this year.

In two years, the coordination centre in Algeciras has seen the most significant reduction in recreational boat emergencies in summer throughout the country. In 2021, the 36 people assisted from 22 boats that reported an emergency were 77.8% more than those in 2023.

Interestingly, the data from Algeciras for 2022 coincides with this summer, with eight people assisted in seven boats.

Regarding the coordination centre in Tarifa, emergencies attended during the summer period have also drastically decreased over two years. In 2021, 462 people were assisted (this figure has decreased by 43.5% in 2023) on 134 boats. Compared to the previous summer, the decrease is 38%—421 people assisted in 114 boats in 2022.

Nationally, Maritime Rescue, under the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda, attended a total of 3,050 emergencies of all types nationwide between June 15 and September 15, 2023, of which 1,510 (50%) were related to recreational boats throughout Spain. The people affected by accidents in this area amounted to 3,644.

The coordination centre in Tarifa was the fifth in Spain this summer that attended to the most people, 261, on 90 boats attended. Algeciras, on the other hand, was the second centre that attended to the fewest people, eight (only surpassed by Madrid, with 7), and assisted the least number of boats, seven.

The causes of emergencies on recreational boats, nationally, were mainly structural or mechanical failure (78%), grounding or running aground (6%), with the remaining 16% due to various other causes such as fires, lack of information, sinkings, leaks, etc.

Collisions with Orcas

In the Strait area, many incidents of the most common cause, i.e., structural or mechanical failures, occur due to collisions with orcas. Therefore, in 2021, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda (Mitma), through the Maritime Captaincy of Cadiz, under the Directorate-General for Merchant Marine (DGMM), issued a resolution restricting navigation for sailing vessels with a length equal to or less than 15 meters between Cape Trafalgar and Barbate, in an extension of approximately 2 to 9 miles from the coast.

Only between March 27, 2021— the date of the first encounter— and August 5 of that same year, the cetaceans were involved in 56 interactions with small sailboats, causing them to lose the rudder on some occasions. In 25 cases, the services of Maritime Rescue were required to tow to port as many boats affected by the encounters, although not all cases required towing.

In 2023, satellite tracking of these cetaceans has also been established. Approximately 60 individuals living on the Spanish Atlantic coast have been equipped with a location device to try to avoid impacts. Until the end of May of last year, Maritime Rescue assisted and towed 24 sailboats that had problems at sea after encountering orcas in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar. The number almost doubles the fourteen rescues they had to perform throughout 2022 and the thirteen they did in 2021, according to data provided by this organisation, not including episodes where sailboats did not require their assistance.

Majority

The relevance of recreational boats in the total emergencies is undeniable, as of the 5,829 vessels assisted last year, 2,826 were recreational boats (48%), 406 were fishing vessels (7%), 508 were merchant ships (9%), and 2,089 (36%) were categorised as others—rafts, floating artefacts, pontoons, etc.

Many of these emergencies could be avoided with good maintenance and the foresight to carry out safety checks before departing. Even today, emergencies still occur that can have fatal consequences for reasons as preventable as running out of fuel at sea, explains Maritime Rescue.

Although the majority of emergencies related to recreational boating focus on the summer period, throughout the rest of the year, Maritime Rescue continues to attend to emergencies of this type.

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2 people rescued in Strait due to incident with orcas, caution urged.

A group of orcas have sunk a sailboat sailing in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar, with its two crew members having to be rescued by the authorities of the African country, following a warning received from Maritime Rescue.

The incident occurred last Sunday, May 12, around 9:00 a.m., when the two occupants of the 15-meter long sailboat 'Alborán Cognac' experienced an interaction with a group of orcas 14 miles off Cape Espartel, in Morocco, as confirmed by Maritime Rescue.

The distress call requested their evacuation as they had felt blows to the hull caused by these cetaceans, resulting in damage to the rudder and a leak. Meanwhile, from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Tarifa (Cádiz), they were advised to put on life jackets, activate the AIS (Automatic Identification System), and have the radio beacons ready for their location if necessary.

Maritime Rescue then informed the Moroccan authorities, as they were in waters under their jurisdiction, indicating "the urgency" of the evacuation. However, a Helimer 223 helicopter was also mobilized from the Coordination Center, and permission was requested from Morocco to intervene in the rescue. Additionally, the tanker 'MT Lascaux,' which was sailing near the scene, was asked to go to the sailboat's position to provide assistance.

Later, Rabat confirmed being in contact with the tanker, to whom they were giving instructions to collaborate in the rescue, so the presence of the Salvage helicopter in the area was not necessary as coordination of the emergency was being assumed from Morocco.

Around 10:00 a.m. that same morning, a communication was received at the Tarifa Coordination Center informing that the two crew members of the sailboat had been rescued by the tanker, with their boat left adrift and subsequently sinking due to the damage. The two crew members were taken to Gibraltar, where they disembarked shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Sunday.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INTERACTIONS WITH ORCAS
This is the first known interaction with orcas that has occurred in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar this year, with the arrival of good weather. According to experts, interactions between orcas and boats "are not aggressive," but rather "more related" to a behavior "of play or socialization than aggression."

The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco) and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (Mitma) have recalled in a statement the recommendations and guidelines established for sailors in case of sighting or interaction with orcas in the Atlantic, with the aim of avoiding or minimizing risks for crew members, boats, navigation, and the cetaceans themselves.

These recommendations are applicable throughout the year, but should be particularly observed during the months of April to August in the delimited area of the Gulf of Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar, as it is "an area of high probability of orca presence, especially during those months."

Thus, it is indicated that in case of interaction with these cetaceans, continue sailing towards the coast to shallower waters, as well as avoiding navigation in the delimited area of the Gulf of Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar indicated during the months of April to August, and sailing "as close as possible to the coast within safety limits." Additionally, it is requested to prevent people on board the affected vessel from approaching the sides, placing themselves in positions that offer "the greatest possible protection against any sudden movements that could cause injuries or falling into the sea."

Both ministries also point out that measures and deterrent actions that may cause "death, harm, annoyance, or disturbance to the cetaceans" should be avoided, as well as reporting these sightings to the nearest Maritime Rescue Coordination Center through the corresponding VHF channels (channel 16 or working channel).

The orca population in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cádiz is classified as "vulnerable" in the Spanish Catalog of Threatened Species (CEEA) developed by Royal Decree 139/2011, of February 4. For species included in the CEEA, any action aimed at killing, capturing, pursuing, or disturbing them is prohibited.

Among the measures for cetacean protection is the prohibition of approaching the vessel to less than 60 meters, throwing food, drinks, garbage, or any other type of object or substance that is harmful to the cetaceans, as well as not producing loud or strident noises and sounds to attract or repel them, including sound emission underwater.

This orca population has a conservation plan developed by Order APM/427/2017 of May 4, which approves protection measures, and the Conservation Plan for the orcas of the Strait and Gulf of Cádiz, which prohibits in its article 4.3 carrying out the activity of cetacean watching, whether commercial, private, or scientific, in the critical area of Barbate, Conil, and Banco Majuán, during the critical period for the species, which takes place from March 1 to August 31.

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Alcaidesa Marina has a "News" page and I found this article there (I'm glad the situation is being addressed)

Developing a Heat Map to Prevent Encounters with Orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar

Renaud de Stepanis, director of the CIRCE association based in Campo de Gibraltar, is responsible for satellite tagging to track cetaceans. His work is essential for the study and conservation of these marine species.

Marine Biology professor José Carlos García-Gómez explains that orcas interact with sailboats in the Strait to teach their young how to hunt tuna. This behavior is related to the presence of a large number of tuna in the area in recent years.

The government plans to tag six orcas with transmitters to alert sailboats of their presence in the Strait. This measure aims to prevent possible incidents and ensure the safety of sailors.

Various videos and photos show incidents of orcas attacking sailboats in both the Strait of Gibraltar and the coast of Cádiz. These incidents have raised concerns and the need to implement preventive measures.

Read it all.

About CIRCE

The CIRCE association, based in Campo de Gibraltar, is funded through public contracts, grants, and contracts with private companies. In addition to satellite tagging of animals, they also conduct research and send periodic reports on the behavior of orcas in the Strait.

CIRCE emerged back in 1996 as a result of collaboration between students, researchers, professors and media experts. Its experience of more than 25 years has been and is oriented to research for the conservation of the marine world and, especially, cetaceans.

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Orca spottings and attacks feared in Costa Del Sol

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.

Since May 2020, researchers have found over 700 instances of killer whales ramming boats.

Carlos Baez of the Spanish Oceanological Institute´s Malaga Centre espouses 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.

Hanne Stager, marine biologist, argues this behaviour is based on something more benign.

“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.”

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.

Read all.

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Three rescued after orca interaction sinks sailboat near Tarifa

Three crew members were rescued by Salvamento Marítimo after their sailboat sank near Tarifa due to coming into contact with orcas.

No one was harmed, and they were safely taken to the port of Barbate.

The incident happened on Wednesday evening when a sail-boat reported steering issues caused by orcas. The Spanish maritime rescue agency was dispatched, but the situation worsened when the crew reported water ingress.

The rescue team arrived to find the crew in a life-raft, signalling with flares. They were rescued without injury, but the sailboat sank.

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Solving the Orca Mystery

I joined Orca team searching for White Gladis to solve mystery of why her pod...

THE SUN joined the specialist Orca team searching for fearsome killer whale White Gladis and her gang in the choppy waters off Gibraltar.

We met the squad of Sea Shepherd France in the port of Barbate, a small fishing village in Spain, as they searched for the pod that have taken to attacking boats.

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