Topline
Two teams participating in the six-month-long Ocean Race have reported run-ins with killer whales, including one encounter that saw orcas accelerate toward a racing yacht, ram into it and bite the rudders, ESPN reported—the latest unexplained aggression from the marine mammals toward boats.
A group of Bigg’s killer whales swim together as seen from a Pacific Whale Watch Association vessel … [+]
Key Facts
Team JAJO, made up of crew from the U.K., the Netherlands, Poland and Spain, were sailing near the Strait of Gibraltar when a pod of orcas attacked the boat for several minutes, per ESPN.
Crew members banged on the hull of the ship to try to drive off the creatures, which video shows circling the Dutch vessel, before they took down the sails to slow the boat, leading the whales to lose interest.
The Mirpuri/Trifork Racing Team also reported a run-in with orcas, organizers told ESPN, but neither boat was damaged and no crew members were injured.
It’s only the most recent attacks in the same Iberian Peninsula region, where orcas have already sunk three boats and attacked several others.
The Ocean Race started in Spain in January and has 11 boats racing around the world in a route that touches South America, Brazil, Denmark, the Netherlands and the East Coast of the United States before its scheduled end in Italy next week.
Key Background
The Atlantic Orca Working Group has reported a 298% rise in orca boat interactions from 2020 to 2023, with more than 500 reported in total, USA Today reported. Orcas have sunk three boats in waters off the Iberian Peninsula—only 8 miles from where The Ocean Race boaters were attacked—so far this year and damaged several more. Social media has been abuzz with theories about the recent rise in attacks, with the prevailing conspiracy that the animals are enacting revenge for increased human interaction near their habitats with one biologist telling Live Science, “the orcas are doing this on purpose.” But most scientists say they’re likely just adopting a behavioral “fad,” usually seen among young whales, similar to the “aggressive and reckless behavior in human teenagers,” The Washington Post wrote, comparing it to a few weeks in 1987 when killer whales in the Pacific Northwest swam around sporting dead salmon on their heads. A June 2022 study published in the journal Marine Mammal Science reported that orcas have stepped up the frequency of their interactions with sailing vessels in and around the Strait of Gibraltar, the same area The Ocean Race boat was attacked.
Surprising Fact
Four killer whales were spotted 40 miles off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts last week, continuing the trend of “unusual” behavior, the Nantucket Current reported.
Crucial Quote
“Three orcas came straight at us and started hitting the rudders. Impressive to see the orcas, beautiful animals, but also a dangerous moment for us as a team,” Team JAJO skipper Jelmer van Beek said.
Big Number
37,000. That’s how many miles boats in The Ocean Race will sail before the end of the race.
Further Reading
Racing yachts have close encounter with pod of orcas near Strait of Gibraltar (ABC News)
Killer whales of the Strait of Gibraltar, an endangered subpopulation showing a disruptive behavior (Marine Mammal Science)
Orcas have sunk 3 boats in Europe and appear to be teaching others to do the same. But why? (Live Science)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/06/23/orcas-attack-2-yachts-in-ocean-race-latest-reports-of-killer-whale-antics/