Scientists on high alert!
Since 2020, the Strait of Gibraltar has become a dangerous area for boats. The cause: orcas that are a little too curious, attacking ships’ appendages. Attacks? Play? Revenge? There have been many hypotheses, but today scientists have come up with an explanation for this phenomenon and, above all, a solution to counter it…
On July 29, 2020, a news item drew attention: nine killer whales had attacked a 46-foot sailboat off the coast of Gibraltar. On board was biology graduate Victoria Morris, who gave an edifying account: “The noise was really frightening. They were ramming the keel, there was this horrible echo, I thought they might capsize the boat. And this deafening noise as they communicated by whistling.” The scientist goes on to describe the attack as “totally orchestrated”. Relayed by The Guardian, the news went around the world in a matter of days. This isn’t the first “attack”, but they’re coming thick and fast. 52 in 2020. And just over 200 a year since. 799 to date!
A game? Yes, but a dangerous one!
Orcas tend to attack the rudders of sailboats under 20 metres long. The animals end up tearing them off, at best making it impossible to continue under way, at worst causing water ingress. The scientists who study these animals in the area do not use the term “attack”, which would imply a desire to cause harm, but rather “interaction”. The area of interaction between killer whales and boats is very extensive, stretching from Brittany to the Strait of Gibraltar. In view of the damage caused to so many boats and the uproar caused, several protocols have been proposed by the various authorities. Fortunately, after several years of research, scientists seem to have understood the phenomenon and are now proposing a course of action in the event of interaction with killer whales. Renaud de Stephanis (president and founder of the CIRCE cetacean research institute) is categorical: “We [the group of scientists] all agree: it’s a game. Orcas – almost always juveniles – play with boats. It’s a game, but a dangerous one, and when you see one or more animals of this size starting to shake your boat, I understand that sailors feel attacked and even in danger. But we now know how to stop this game.
What should you do if killer whales approach your boat?
It’s all well and good to think that the animals in the Gibraltar area aren’t after humans, or taking revenge for a fisherman’s bad behavior, or being injured by a boat’s propeller (some of these theories have flourished in the press). But how should we behave when faced with several-ton killer whales charging at our boat and starting to attack the rudder? Stop and drop everything? Start the engine and get away as fast as you can? Throw sand or diesel around the boat? Throw firecrackers or hand-held flares at the orcas? Or use technology to submerge pingers, audio systems designed to scare away marine animals?
When asked how to deal with orcas, Renaud de Stephanis, who has been studying them in this area since 1996, has an initial, implacably logical answer: “When the weather forecast calls for a storm, what do you do? You avoid the danger zone. Well, it’s the same with orcas. We know where they are, and they don’t move very far from their hunting zone during the day (less than 2.5 km).
We have Telegram loops that indicate where the orcas are. Since October 2022, no one who follows us via this network – and there are 2,000 of them to date – has been attacked. So it’s simple, you avoid the area and you’ll have virtually no chance of being bothered.” And if a pod of killer whales does race your sailboat, what’s the right thing to do? Very simple,” continues the scientist, “you just keep on going. If you stop, you give the orcas what they want: to play with the boat. You move forward, because it’s harder to catch the rudder if it’s moving, you move forward because it decreases the strength and severity of the interactions, you move forward because it’s less fun for them and so they quickly give up the chase… As for the rest, it’s very simple: pingers don’t work, firecrackers are totally illegal and all the rest is dangerous talk for you or the animals. And above all, it will never prevent animals from playing with your boat, with the significant risk of damage.”
A proven protocol to prevent “killer whale attacks
Since the introduction of Telegram loops and this very clear protocol, “active interactions” have dropped by 70%. Renaud de Stephanis also points out that requests for towing in the event of serious damage, making it impossible to get underway, have dropped by 80%! For the researcher, all that remains is to break the bad habits of juvenile killer whales. To this end, his team has devised a rudder equipped with conical protuberances and a specific color that is less attractive to the animals. If enough local boats get on board, the game and the “attacks” should soon be over.
