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SC/69B/SM/08
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Resource ID
22168
Access
Open
Document Number
SC/69B/SM/08
Full Title
?Closer encounters? between Orcinus orca and man-made objects: An emerging issue in the Caribbean Sea
Author
Jaime Bola os-Jim nez, Angiolina Henriquez, Leonardo S nchez-Criollo, Yurasi Brice o, Fernando Trujillo, Ruth Esteban, Ingrid Visser
Authors Summary
Since 2020, the subpopulation of killer whales that feed on bluefin tuna in waters around the Iberian Peninsula started to display disruptive behavior that includes physical contact with, and damage to boats. Recently, we collected several reports of interactions between killer whales and boats in the waters of Colombia and Venezuela that resulted in damage to the boats. In this study, we summarized all available records of such interactions in the Caribbean Sea to compare this situation with the one on the Iberian Peninsula. Our review documented six such encounters, including: 1) physical contact between orcas and the boat or engine; 2) orcas feeding around fishing aggregating devices at the same time that fishers were fishing; and 3) orca movements close enough to the boats that frightened the crew. The locations of these interactions include Colombia (n = 1), Venezuela (n = 3), the Dominican Republic (n = 1), and Puerto Rico (n = 1). The boats involved included one sailing boat, one sport fishing boat, and four small, artisanal fishing boats. A seventh case was reported that included damage to the rudder of a catamaran near Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but the crew could not positively identify orca as the species involved. As this is an emerging topic, our sample size is small. We were not able to find any similarities with the kinds of interactions currently occurring around the Iberian Peninsula. At this moment, it is advisable to prepare for an educational campaign on safety at sea during encounters in the Caribbean Sea, based on the guidelines developed by the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atl ntica about the situation around the Iberian Peninsula.
Publisher
IWC
Publication Year
2024
Abstract
In this study, we summarize a series of interactions of killer whales and man-made objects in the Caribbean Sea that involved physical contact that included damage to the boats or engines.