Just a fad?

Attacks by killer whales in the Mediterranean are on the rise

Orcas have been known since the movie series "Free Willy" at the latest.

(Bild: AFP/Marty Melville)

The numerous attacks by orcas (also known as killer whales) on boats, which began in the coronavirus pandemic year 2020 and were unknown until a few years ago, continue to puzzle researchers. They hope that the attacks by marine mammals are a temporary fad.

An idyllic boat trip in the Mediterranean turned into a horror trip for a Spanish family in a matter of seconds. Several orcas suddenly attacked the sailing boat and tore off a large piece of the rudder blade, which was over two meters long.

"You get to deal with fear"
"I don't know if these whales really just wanted to play or what, but when you're attacked by an eight-metre-long beast weighing several tons, you get scared," said the boat owner. The family's planned boat vacation came to an abrupt end, as the Spanish newspaper "El Mundo" recently reported.

But the orca attacks did not stop there. The last major incident occurred on July 24 off the coast of Tarifa in the Strait of Gibraltar. The sailing boat "Bonhomme William" immediately sent out a distress signal, but by the time the Spanish emergency services arrived, it was already half-submerged. The three occupants - two Britons and an Italian - were rescued in time. "The three rescued have been brought ashore safe and sound, the sailboat is sinking," reported the Spanish maritime rescue service on X (formerly Twitter).

Attacks are a relatively new phenomenon
Such attacks - researchers prefer to speak of interactions and assume that the killer whales are not acting with aggressive intent - were unknown until a few years ago. The first incidents were reported in 2020, the year of the pandemic, and were often captured on video. You can hear the cries of surprised sailors: "Wow, what a beast!", "You scumbag!" and "He got us!".

This sailing boat was damaged in an attack by killer whales.

(Bild: AFP/Jorge Guerrero)

The orcas, which can be up to ten meters long and weigh over five tons, are the largest species in the dolphin family and have been known to the general public since the film series "Free Willy". They eat tuna, herrings, seals, penguins and seabirds and also attack sharks, dolphins and other whales. However, they had not targeted boats until 2020.

Various measures taken by the Spanish authorities, such as bans on smaller boats in certain sea zones and GPS trackers to locate orcas and warn captains, have so far had little success. According to the organization "GT Atlantic Orca" (GTAO), there were 84 interactions off the coasts of Spain and Portugal this year up to the end of June. Six boats were so badly damaged that they had to be towed away. The figures are slightly higher than the average for 2021 to 2023 in the same period.

"Encounters" mainly in the Strait of Gibraltar
"Most encounters continue to be recorded in the Strait of Gibraltar or nearby," reported GTAO biologist Alfredo López at the weekend. The area between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic is popular with Iberian killer whales because one of their favorite foods, tuna, is abundant there.

The phenomenon is reminiscent of Frank Schätzing's bestseller "The Swarm", in which nature rebels against humanity. Spanish media report increasing fear - especially among owners of luxury boats who no longer venture out to sea and often only enjoy their expensive vessels in the marina. More and more sailors and fishermen in the region are demanding "solutions" from the authorities, including compensation for lost income.

The incidents are puzzling researchers. Although orcas live all over the world, so far only animals in the Iberian region have exhibited this mysterious behavior. According to GTOA's findings, only 16 of the 34 individuals registered there interact with the boats. As far as is known, they almost always do this together as a group. There are three females and 13 juveniles, says López.

Researchers puzzled: boredom and tuna?
Why only these 16? Why only in the Strait of Gibraltar and partly also in the western Mediterranean, off the coast of Portugal and further north in the Atlantic off the north coast of Spain and the west coast of France? Researchers admit that they do not yet have definite answers to these questions.

López has two hypotheses: Either the highly intelligent animals have simply invented something new - similar to those orcas that balanced dead salmon on their heads in the North Pacific in the 1980s. "They then imitate each other in the group". Or they react to a negative experience, such as getting caught in a fishing net or a collision with a boat.

More tuna due to fishing bans?
Boredom could also possibly play a role. In a study from June, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) suspects that orcas attack boats because there is an abundance of tuna due to fishing bans. As they spend less time foraging, they probably have more "free time" and "play" with the ships, it was said.

The many studies and campaigns - including those by environmentalists - show just how much this phenomenon concerns sailors, authorities, the media and researchers. In July, the Spanish organization "Ecologistas en Acción" set off on a month-long observation trip with a sailing ship and up to 60 alternating activists and researchers to uncover the mystery.

Concern for killer whales: endangered species
However, their main concern is not for sailors, but for the welfare of the orcas. According to the organization, they are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and are threatened by climate change, water pollution, increasing shipping traffic and noise, particularly in the Strait of Gibraltar.

All experts agree that the animals should not be demonized. Headlines such as "Orca uprising" distort reality, complains López. He has the impression that the animals are increasingly being treated with hatred by boat crews, but also on the internet. Videos show how boat crews shoot at orcas with distress rockets, among other things.

To avoid an escalation, the Spaniard refers to information on his organization's website. Captains should inform themselves better, choose alternative routes, not sail at night and not stray too far from the coast.

Just a passing fad?
Meanwhile, there is hope that the problem could disappear of its own accord: After all, some experts suspect it is a passing fad that could end abruptly - just like salmon balancing in the 1980s. López sees evidence of this: "Compared to 2023, the number of interactions is declining this year.