Walter Finch
ORCA season is returning to the Strait of Gibraltar and scientists are already working on ways to mitigate their interactions with sail boats amid rising anger from the region’s skippers.
A new campaign to track and protect the endangered Iberian orcas has kicked off from the Cadiz town of Barbate after the first pods were confirmed to have arrived in the Strait.
Conservation group CIRCE has demonstrated their method of firing cameras kitted out with suction cups to harmlessly attach to a killer whale without getting too close.
Known as ‘catcams’, the ambitious monitoring operation combines them with satellite tracking to better understand the behaviour of these curious creatures — especially the ones known for approaching sailing boats.
The campaign comes as part of a growing effort to reduce the number of run-ins between orcas and vessels in the Strait.
These interactions have sparked international headlines in recent years — with orcas damaging rudders and even sinking small yachts with sailors helpless.
“We now know that keeping the boat moving is key,” explained CIRCE researchers.
“Stopping gives orcas more time to push the rudder, which increases the risk of serious damage.”
So far, the team has tracked 42 individual orcas from three major family groups. In total, some 90 have been identified since 1999.
The campaign has three fundamental objectives: reducing encounters between vessels and orcas, minimising impact when encounters occur, and modifying orca behaviour through specific techniques.
Two research vessels will be deployed, including their main boat, Elsa, along with land-based observations to assess the viability of coastal monitoring which could warn sailboats of orca presence.
New safe navigation routes have already been mapped, based on predictive models and past tracking data — and appear to be working.
Orca interactions dropped by 70% last year, with just two reported so far in 2025 according to CIRCE, while the Cruising Association put the figure at eight – and none since February.
Anecdotally, the Olive Press knows of one catamaran that has been damaged by orca strikes in the last four weeks.
CIRCE will be hosting talks at marinas and sailing clubs around the Strait to share advice with skippers.
They also hope to spot orcas from the coastline and issue real-time alerts to nearby vessels.
The announcement comes after the Olive Press reported rising anger among captains and skippers at the lack of progress made in tackling the orca strikes.
They have even warned that the first orca could be killed this summer if solutions are not found.
Yassine Darkaoui, a sailor who runs a repair shop in Tangier, told the Olive Press he has fixed the rudders of three separate vessels after orca interactions in the past year alone.
“I meet a lot of sailors and many of them tell me they are prepared to shoot these motherf***ers if they come and try to harm their boats or even endanger their families,” said Darkaoui, who has had to shelve plans to open a sailing centre in Tangier because of the orcas.
“Some guys invested their life savings in their boat; for them it is their home and their business.
“So when you see that you are being attacked by those beautiful monsters, it will lead to people shooting at them.
“People are thinking that, because they’re so smart, they can teach these animals to leave them alone by killing one, which for me is not the best solution.”
“But it is just a matter of time – and not much time. Summer is coming, the tuna migration begins soon, and the orcas are coming back.
“But let me tell you, if I kill an orca, I will kill it with a tear in my eye.”
The Iberian orca is a protected species, and the maximum punishment under Spanish law for harming – or killing one – is two years in prison.
But sailors have already been known to throw firecrackers and rice overboard at the orcas, which are sensitive to loud noises.
