Killer whales launch ‘orchestrated’ attacks on sailing boats

[CarinaPDX]

One of the pods in the PNW is believed to be starving as a result of a shortage of salmon, which has also caused sea lions to travel 100 miles and more upstream to find salmon below the dams and falls (not normal behavior). We broke it; we need to fix it. Habitat destruction, dams, and over-fishing have almost completely destroyed the great salmon runs that supported the ecosystem as far inland as Idaho, where the returning salmon used to bring massive quantities of nutrients to areas otherwise devoid of them. Whether lack of food, or threat to juveniles, or something else is at the root of the current attacks, we need to start fixing what we broke.

Nearly 30 years ago I motored out of Friday Harbor to find a very large pod of orcas. There were some young boys in a fast dinghy zipping through the pod (illegal even then but the sheriff refused to come out and enforce the law when I called him - locals don't punish locals). I stayed as close to shore as I dared but even then the dominant male, with a dorsal fin about 6' tall, came alongside to warn me away (or at least that is how I interpreted the action - it was scary to have such a large animal surface within feet of my little boat). I hope the new laws will be obeyed, and enforced if necessary.

I was also "attacked" by a whale shark in the Sea of Cortez: (s)he had a reputation for scratching his/her back on boats' running gear. Carina was not damaged, although my crew was pinned by the tiller for a few seconds as the shark pushed the rudder hard over; I was lucky as there were boats on the hard undergoing repairs as a result. I had no sense of malicious behavior; the animal just wanted a scratch, and then kept going. It is their habitat after all.

Greg

[Telesail]

Originally Posted by Yellowjacket

I don't think one can deny that humans have caused a precipitous decline of fish in the ocean, and increase is pollution. It's also a mistake to underestimate the intelligence of Orca. There is a reason for this new behavior, and the response needs to be thoughtful.

I don’t think anyone is denying the negative impact of human fishing, pollution etc. nor that the response should be thoughtful 🙂

[S/V Adeline]

I, for one, believe i have a much better chance of winning the lottery (without buying a ticket) than being attacked by a pod or random orca. However, this belief that ANY creature, reptile, mammal or whatever has the right to react to a *perceived* threat and my responsibility is to allow it to kill me and my family is utterly stupid.
If you are afraid he is starving and just needs food, by all means jump right in and feed him. If he wants to play maybe he will use you as a squeeze toy, have at it. But on the remote one in a billion chance my boat is sunk by anyone or anything living, look for the one with battle scars cause I will go down fighting for mine (life and home)

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by Telesail

I don’t think anyone is denying the negative impact of human fishing, pollution etc. nor that the response should be thoughtful 🙂

Yes the Orcas should think it through a bit, leave yachts alone and focus on fishing boats.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

It's interesting that the article only references encounters with sailboats. Are there no motocruisers around? Are sailboats easier to catch? More vulnerable? Or is there something about sailboats that are somehow more annoying to these animals?

Fascinating...

There was one report of the pod attacking a Navy vessel of around 36feet but alas I don't remember where this report was. I will try to find it.

Edit: The naval vessel was also a sail boat. Perhaps the engine noises of power boats deter the Orcas, thus the attacks on sail boats. Or it is possible that power boats are moving too quickly, or are not around in the numbers the sail boats are in the attack areas.

[kryg]

One possible solution though regrettable. I wonder if attached by orcas, as the article end experiences state. As It seems running the engine does not scare them off. Should and could one defend crew and boat by using rocket flares aimed at the attackers? I'm guessing it would burn sting but not kill them? It is incredible they know to attack the boats rudder?

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

I heard a theory once that the color of your particular bottom paint may provoke these animals ....can't remember which color was deemed to be the worst...

interestingly, I have always used "red" bottom paint...for me...this is a "safe" color.....it does not resemble any type of fish...fact....fiction...sailors lore....who knows....???...but red it has always been and always will be...

There was a study done a few years ago about this very subject. I don't remember the details, but it did appear that one color had a lower likelihood of being hit than others. Again, I don't remember the results.

[chrisr]

i recall an article a few years ago that raised the likelihood of hearing damage to whales

as we all know, whales use their hearing extensively, for communication and navigation. this article put forward the idea that the worlds oceans are becoming incredibly noisy (if you are a whale) and this is leading to hearing damage. i recall lesions where found in the ears of beached whales

maybe this is part of the problem ?

either way, the oceans are my natural habitat too and whales should learn to share

cheers,

[Franziska]

Here is a video of that incident:

https://youtu.be/cSbgr4Afsl8

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

There was one report of the pod attacking a Navy vessel of around 36feet but alas I don't remember where this report was. I will try to find it.

Edit: The naval vessel was also a sail boat. Perhaps the engine noises of power boats deter the Orcas, thus the attacks on sail boats. Or it is possible that power boats are moving too quickly, or are not around in the numbers the sail boats are in the attack areas.

[barnakiel]

The theory of orcas trying to shake off their food from the boats makes a lot of sense.



We are over-harvesting their fields, they came to shake us off our boats. Off course to such a big animal we may look like a food of sorts.


I hope nobody gets hurt on either side.



b.

[Hobie1]

Originally Posted by Training Wheels

You’d be wrong. They were running a generator on deck!

Probably hard for them to tell the difference. [emoji849]

[NorthCoastJoe]

Sounds like they go for plastic boats? If they are as smart as us they learned how to diasble a boat. Sailboats may be the easiest targets, training, warm-up for the big prize.

Now when they all gang up and take out a factory fishing ship we will know they are protecting their turf.

[billgewater]

They were probably just listening in to some humans conversing and mistook "Orcastration" for "castration". So by attacking the under gear on a boat they were probably saying "Here's some of your own medicine!" . I could be wrong.
(I once thought women were all nice and that politicians worked tirelessly for our benefit and that ship chandlers were always trying to offer the lowest cost alternative.
I only recently discovered that when my wife said "Yes, yes! You are right."
She actually meant that I was, apparently, wrong!)

But seriously, if an Orca was to attack a whale or dolphin, then the initial attack would probably be designed to immobilize the prey. i.e. attack the tail fin parts. Thus the attack on the rudder. Also from the Orca's perspective, a whale that stays on the surface and is not breaching or exhaling, is hardly moving at all, would reasonably be assumed to be in difficulties and thus an easy prey.

It's a worry when you see pictures of large inflatables moving among the ice floes loaded with rugged tourists, snapping shots of groups of Orcas. A disaster in the making.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Snore

Turning off the engine is not the solution. Look at the reports. They turned two boats 180. The orcas did not want the boat to proceed in that direction.

You ask some good questions and indeed, until we know the details we can only guess why they attacked.

The only comment you made that I question is the one about them turning the boats 180 degrees as if on purpose. It is a tremendous leap to assume that they wanted to boats to point in a particular direction. If they were ramming the rudders, it is very possible that the force of the hit turned them for no other reason than the physics of a several tons of what hitting a boat and spinning. It is very possible the the through of turning the boat never entered their mind.

[MicHughV]

some years ago...I was paddling around on the ICW on a paddle ski (a surfboard you can paddle) near a restaurant that fronted on the ICW. Next to the restaurant was a small creek and a parking lot. I noticed a lot of people standing around in the parking lot looking at something.
That something was a family of manatee's in the small creek....with young...I could not say how many...a dozen perhaps. All I could see were their backs.
Thinking these to be harmless creatures, I paddled over for a closer look...mind you, the water was murky, typical ICW brown with zero visibility and I wasn't likely to see anything, but I paddled over anyway..
As I got close to this group of manatees, this large shape suddenly detached from the group and made for me with unbelievable speed. Before I knew what was happening, this manatee leapt out of the water and threw itself over the back of my paddle ski and sent me flying....the crowd standing on the parking lot screaming their heads off.
I don't know how I managed to clamber back on my paddle ski, as the next few seconds was a blur, but I did, and with every bit of energy I had, I made straight for the parking lot, paddling like a madman....which was maybe 20' away..where there was a small rickety dock. The crowd of people in the parking lot were yelling at me "he's right behind you"...I literally threw myself onto this dock, as that manatee made one more effort to destroy me and my paddle ski.

Was I frightened...off course....I was imagining this 500 lb manatee pushing me into the mud.....rolling over me and drowning me....

I later found out that manatee's can have quite a burst of speed....20 knots...

Nonetheless...manatee's...orca's...whales, with young should be considered armed and dangerous...and since that day, I have studiously tried my best to avoid any encounter with these mammals.....

I don't believe these animals will wantonly attack you or your boat without some underlying reason......I don't know what the correct escaping technique to be, but I'm inclined to think changing course, if possible, might provide an option, as it may give the impression you are leaving the area post haste....or use a zig-zag course...????

Me, I'd have the engine running at full blast....I'd pick a heading directly opposite to where I would see these creatures first...and hope I was making the right decision...oh yeah...a steel hull would be nice too...