• One of the three killer whales stayed around the boat for a long time, going so far as to touch it with the tip of its muzzle, says the fisherman.

  • These killer whales were certainly following the migration of bluefin tuna, explains the One Ocean association.

  • They probably came from a group of orcas established in the Iberian Peninsula, and which is the subject of particular scientific monitoring, because of interactions with boats which have been increasing since 2020, according to the Pelagis Observatory of La Rochelle.

During the tuna fishing courses he organizes off the Arcachon basin, Florent Surot “regularly sees all kinds of species of dolphins, pilot whales and others…” This year he even “saw a leatherback turtle”.

But orcas, "this is the first time" in ten years that he has been fishing in the area.

This Thursday, September 23, he left with four people for a tuna fishing course.

“I was sailing at 7 knots, calmly,” he says, “when one of the trainees told me he had just seen big fins in the distance.

It was a group of three orcs.

And we found ourselves very quickly with an orca which approached at the level of the engine of the boat.

She was quite curious since she even touched the boat with the tip of her nose, then went to the other side and rolled over onto her stomach.

"

"I did not feel any aggression"

Paula Mendez-Fernandez, research engineer at the Pelagis observatory in La Rochelle, analyzed the video and considers that the orca, which is a "curious" animal, "was more interested in playing with the boat than attacking it. . "" Every year in summer, we have observations of killer whales by fishermen or boaters off our coasts, continues the engineer. It's not common, but it's not uncommon either. What is unusual in this case, however, is to see an orca playing with a motorboat, usually they prefer sailboats because what amuses them the most is playing with the rudders [part of the rudder], and unfortunately they sometimes end up breaking them. “On July 14, a sailboat was“ heckled ”by an orca off Royan (Charente-Maritime).

As it is the first time that he has faced this animal with a sulphurous reputation, the fishing guide Florent Surot “did not want to play with it too much.

"I didn't feel any aggressiveness, but knowing that there have been stories with sailboats where orcas had broken the bars, I decided to maintain my course and my speed.

"

No doubt "in the process of following schools of fish"

Member of the One Ocean association, created in 2018 in Arcachon by a marine biologist with the aim of setting up a research program on cetaceans off the coast of Gironde, Mathieu Ducret believes that these killer whales “were following schools of fish ”since we are“ in the midst of the migration of bluefin tuna from the Atlantic, which are heading north.

"

The animals are said to come from a community of orcas established in the south of the Iberian Peninsula.

"It is a subpopulation, well known and genetically isolated," says Paula Mendez-Fernandez.

“There are a few hundred individuals identified, it is a small group considered in danger in particular because of the human activity in this sector.

"

Over 150 interactions between boats and orcas since 2020

This community has been talked about a lot in recent months, browsers mentioning several "attacks" from these animals.

Scientists prefer to speak of “interactions”, even if they confirm that there are more and more of them, and that they are sometimes muscular.

“Since 2020, there have been more than 150 interactions between killer whales and boats in the Iberian Peninsula,” notes Paula Mendez-Fernandez.

“They are curious animals, who like to approach boats or play in the current caused by the propeller.

So there is nothing surprising, especially in an area where there are a lot of shipping companies as is the case in the Strait of Gibraltar.

On the other hand, these scenes with a little more violent interactions, which caused damage to the boats, are quite new.

"

A working group, orquaiberica, bringing together several organizations and associations including the Pelagis observatory, was even created in 2020 to monitor this population.

Above all "do not put up resistance"

"We strongly suspect that the killer whales observed off Arcachon come from this population, in particular because we know that this group has moved up since the end of August in the northwest of the Iberian peninsula, says Paula Mendez. -Fernandez.

And these are distances that they can travel very easily.

But we can't say for sure.

"

In the meantime, and since interactions with boats are increasing, a safety protocol for mariners has been put in place.

“It is quite simply a question of stopping the boat and above all leaving the helm free, not putting up resistance, otherwise they have even more influence and this is where there can be damage,” explains the Pelagis engineer.

And of course you have to stay calm, while waiting for them to go away, because they end up leaving.

"

Planet

South Africa: Orcas could be implicated in great white shark disappearance off Cape Town

Planet

What is this story of orcas attacking boats at sea?

  • Aquitaine

  • Arcachon

  • Bordeaux

  • Animals

  • Boat

  • Killer whale

  • Planet