In the Strait of Gibraltar, unexplained jostling between killer whales and sailboats

2023-07-28 14:55:00

DISPATCH — For three years now, killer whale “attacks” have multiplied off the Strait of Gibraltar, threatening sailboats venturing out to sea. While some see it as “revenge” from the Gladis family, other scientists consider that they are only “playing”. The phenomenon remains unexplained.

In 2020, a female killer whale called White Gladis was reportedly hit by a ship, or entangled in a fishing net, while pregnant. Since then, more than 500 “interactions” between killer whales and sailfish have been identified by the Atlantic Killer Whale Working Group. In 50% of cases, ships suffer damage (usually at the helm), and sailors are sometimes forced to return to dry land to pay for costly repairs.

It was the 2020 incident that would have made the matriarch aggressive towards sailboats, and this behavior would have gradually spread to other orcas. In any case, this is the hypothesis mainly presented by the media.

However, this is not the only track studied. “For an orca who is eight meters and five tons, playing with a boat is like playing with a cat for us. For humans, it seems like aggression, but for orcas, it’s just a game” , explains oceanographer François Sarano. Biologist Alfredo López, meanwhile, points out that these incidents remain “rare and strange”. One should therefore not draw hasty conclusions.

Some media are rightly singled out by associations for their treatment of information that is too cavalier. Yesterday, Sea Shepherd France called on BFM TV on Twitter: “You have a responsibility in the terms used.” She explains: “The revenge thesis has never been scientifically validated and the much more plausible hypothesis is that they find a playful attraction to the rudder of the boats. It’s less of a seller than a remake of Jaws. , that’s for sure, and yet it’s much more realistic.” The association also recalls that “the population of killer whales in the Strait of Gibraltar is in critical danger of extinction and has only about sixty individuals.”