Further Killer Whale Attacks Off The Spanish Coast
Another fishing vessel has been attacked by killer whales in the latest in a series of attacks on vessels in recent weeks off the Spanish coast.
The orcas were spotted two miles away from the coast in Donostia, also known as San Sebastian a city and municipality of the Basque Autonomous Community, located in Northern Spain.
“It was a group of five or six orcas” comments Alberto Losa, captain of the ship, to the local newspaper DiarioVasco.
“It was as if it was playing, although I don’t know if it was playing or maybe protecting the rest” he added, referring to the movements and approaches of one of the cetaceans.
In this last video it can be seen how the orcas chase the boat but are quickly left behind.
According to Sea Rescue sources, these attacks have been getting more common in the northern coast of Spain in recent last weeks.
The first notice they received about these animals was from the French sailboat Daito.
The crew members of the boat explained that while they were heading to Portugal, they were attacked by a cetacean so they had to stop in a port to check if the hull of the ship had suffered any damage.
An army boat was also attacked when a cetacean hit the steering wheel and broke it as it can be perceived in video released by official sources on 31st August 2020.
A boat, called ‘Amadeus’ was reported damaged by two French nationals when they were attacked by killer whales which damaged the boat’s Wheel on Monday 14th of September.
Another incident was called in about three hours later, this time by Spanish sailors, after their vessel ‘Urki I’ also reported whale damage making them unable to steer the boat.
A British vessel reported a similar attack six miles off the coast of Cape Prior located in the same region on Friday 11th September. They were towed and also unharmed in the incident.
An additional two boats have been damaged in orca attacks in coasts off of the Galician coast including another French sailboat and a Spanish Navy sailboat called ‘Mirfak’.
Alfredo Lopez, a biologist from the Coordinator for the Study of Marine Mammals, said that these mammals “do not care at all about boats “.
In any case, Lopez comments that this situation should not be seen as “alarming” but more as “strange”.
The area is a migration area of tuna, one of their favourite prey. Lopez added: “We had already detected them, they come once or twice every year.”
Since a few days ago when the first killer whale attacks were reported on the coast, the sea rescue team has activated a radio warning so that all ships avoid approaching them.