Sharp blades fitted to a rudder in what Sea Shepherd France says is orca deterrent measure

Sea Shepherd France (SSF) has released video footage of what it says is a yacht fitted with an orca deterrent – in the form of sharpened blades attached to its rudder.

The organisation, alongside WeWhale, has been patrolling the Iberian coastline. It says its remit is to prevent any reprisals against the orca after the creatures have ‘interacted’ with vessels, and sunk a few, over the past few years. A lot of that interaction has been with rudders.

“We filmed this French boat in Barbate marina,” says SSF who released the footage below on 28 July. “It is now back on the water. We reported the boat to the local police, who told us that although orcas are strictly protected by law, there is a grey area regarding this type of equipment, which can cause them injury. Our legal team is working on a complaint for ‘attempted destruction of a protected species’.”

The organisation is keen to point out that no one has been injured in the orca interactions. And that the Iberian killer whale subspecies is critically endangered.

“Some media outlets and yachtsmen are promoting a discourse of terror,” says SSF, “based on a grotesque theory of vengeful orca. Such rhetoric feeds an irrational psychosis and in some cases have led to violent reprisals against these protected animals.

“As we recently showed in several videos of our boat surrounded by 15 orcas [below], these majestic beings show no signs of aggression. Large, curious and playful cetaceans… whose damage, if any, is due more to their size and strength than to their desire to harm anyone. As a reminder, no human being has ever been injured by an orca in the wild, ever.”

Latest boat sunk after orca interaction: Bonhomme William

However, Salvamento Marítimo, Spanish maritime rescue, was called out last week to the sailboat Bonhomme William.

yacht's stern above the water as it sinks. Owner says orca orchestrated attack

The skipper reported that, on the afternoon/night of 24 July, it needed towing after orca’ interactions. By the time the rescuers had arrived, the boat was sinking. Three people were rescued.

Robert Powell and his crew were just 22 hours into their 10-day trip from Vilamoura, Portugal, to Greece.

“To me, they were not playing at all, they knew exactly what they were doing. They knew the weak points of the boat, and they knew how to sink it. Their sole intention was to sink the boat, and that was it,” Powell told the to New York Post.

The five orcas circled the 39-foot sailing boat and, in a coordinated assault, took turns ramming it. They first targeted the rudder and then broke apart parts of the boat’s exterior. Powell says one concentrated on the keel, another on the stern, and others targeting vulnerable areas.

“They were circling. It was like watching wolves hunt. They were taking it in turns to come in — sometimes two would come in at the same time and hit it. So obviously pretty terrifying.”

Powell tried everything from dropping firecrackers in the water and turning off the engine to deter the attack, but the pod was determined.

“It was a very long attack, and it was really the violence of the attack that surprised me.

“I have a feeling that this group are boat sinkers — I think they knew what they were doing, I’m sure of it.”

Continue reading about orca and the mystery of their recent behaviour patterns, including that they’re bored, or check out MIN’s full list of articles about whales from around the world.

Main images courtesy of Sea Shepherd France, boat image courtesy of Salvamento Marítimo.

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