Orca Attacks in Spain Stop for First Time in Months

Orca attacks on boats off the Galician coast have suddenly stopped for the first time in months.

Since 2020, there have been hundreds of interactions between orcas and sailing boats off the coast of Spain and Portugal. The encounters have ranged from orcas simply approaching boats to the cetaceans actively interfering with them.

Some interactions have been severe. In July, orcas sank a sailboat with five on board off the coast of Sines, after they rammed the boat. Orcas also attacked a family sailboat twice in August and September.

The mammals attacked the boat's rudder for 30 to 45 minutes, meaning it had to be pulled to shore.

These interactions have been near-constant since 2020. But on September 13, the Atlantic Orca Working Group—a collective of scientists tracking the interactions—reported no interactions for 10 days. In a Facebook post, the group said this was "the first time there [were] no interactions in a row for months."

Interactions were once again reported on September 19, the collective said on Facebook. They all took place north of Malpica.

Alfredo López, an orca expert at the Atlantic Orca Working Group, told Newsweek that it the sudden lull in interactions may be due to the whale's migration patterns.

"These absences seem to be due to the fact that the killer whales move towards the open waters of the ocean and return to the coast, this is how they divert the tuna from their migrations and corner them against the coast. So it seems that they leave but days later they come back," López said.

At the moment, the orcas seem to be moving north, and scientists expect they will continue to Cabo Prior, the Atlantic Orca Working Group said on Facebook.

While some attacks have been severe, experts do not believe they are a form of aggression.

Despite also being known as 'killer whales,' orcas do not attack humans in the wild—the only reported aggressive attacks on humans by these mammals have occurred in captivity.

López previously told Newsweek that in some incidents, the orcas responsible for the interactions have been seen swimming alongside smaller dolphins. Experts think that if these orcas were aggressive, dolphins would not go near them.

"Since we have been observing these cases, and we are recording what happens in these circumstances, we have verified that the orcas' behaviors are not aggressive, all their gestures, way of moving and actions do not show aggressiveness," López said.

While experts do not yet know what is causing the orcas to approach the boats, there are several suspicions.

Orcas are socially complex creatures and incredibly intelligent. Scientists have previously observed them displaying playful behavior—in some circumstances, this can involve interacting with boats and chasing them.

Update 9/21/22 ET 4:31 a.m: This article was updated to include quotes from Alfredo López.