1 of 1 Orcas attack boats in Portugal and Spain — Photo: Audun Rikardsen Orcas attack boats in Portugal and Spain — Photo: Audun Rikardsen
The Portuguese government this Tuesday (11) banned tourist boats from approaching pods of killer whales. Instructions have been published on how ships should behave when whales are sighted.
A number of orca whale incidents have recently occurred off the coasts of Portugal and Spain.
The Institute for the Protection of Nature and Forests of Portugal (ICNF) announced that the ban will apply until the end of the year. The rules mainly apply to boats offering whale watching tours.
Whenever orcas are sighted attempting to approach, boats should pull away to avoid contact. If the animals are already nearby, the boat must stop with the engine running until the whales move away.
Since 2020, there have been incidents of orcas crashing into the hulls and rudders of boats. In some cases, the Coast Guard had to tow the ships ashore.
The reason for this recent and repeated behavior of orcas towards ships is not known. The number of whales involved in these interactions has increased since the first reports.
More than 200 interactions between orcas and boats were recorded off the Atlantic coasts of Portugal and Spain last year.
Orcas do not attack humans.
Adult killer whales can reach a length of up to nine meters and weigh over six tons.
Although known as killer whales, highly social orcas are members of the dolphin family. They usually feed on fish, penguins and seals. In nature, there is no knowledge of their attacks on humans.