Why Are Killer Whale Attacks On The Rise? Scientists Set Sail To Find Out

It's a terrifying mystery on the high seas. Why are orcas, better known as killer whales, attacking boats by the hundreds? Slamming into sailboats, ramming their rudders, even sinking at least half a dozen vessels since 2020. Baffling marine biologists who say orcas and humans have always gotten along. But now new research may explain what's happening. Scientists in Spain say older orcas are training the young how to hunt Atlantic bluefin tuna, fast swimming fish that can grow up to 13 feet long. Once endangered, the population of these tuna have recently recovered and become a critical part of these orcas' diet. The orcas, they need to run, they need to eat, they need to bite to isolate this large tuna. How do they reinforce this technique, practicing? But not all scientists agree. I traveled to the Orca Attack Hot Zone, the Strait of Gibraltar, to find out why run-ins with the ocean's top predator are on the rise. Yannick Andre runs WeWhale, which tracks orcas at sea and works to keep them safe. Is it accurate to call these attacks? Actually, not at all, because it's an attack and blast, something aggressive towards humans. Some scientists believe it's like the kind of fads teenagers go through, a learned behavior that, for whatever reason, becomes popular for a while and then fizzles out. At Spain's southern tip, we board a 30-foot boat and set sail. Despite their nickname, killer whales, orcas are actually massive dolphins, up to 27 feet long and weighing as much as six tons, and extremely intelligent, with their own language of clicks and whistles. This subspecies striking boats is called the Iberian orca, and it's considered critically endangered, just 35 still believed to be alive. Is there a real risk the Iberian orca could become extinct? Definitely. I think we're just on the path to it, unfortunately. Iberian orcas spend the colder months near northern Spain, but when the weather gets warmer, they follow their prey, the tuna, to the Strait of Gibraltar, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. This is the Strait of Gibraltar. Spain is right here. Gibraltar's behind me. Africa is off in the distance this way. And this is ground zero for where orcas have been sinking boats. There have been no deaths, but a lot of scares. Since 2020, roughly 700 orca interactions with boats. Yeah, like all. It was in these waters in May that orcas rammed this 65-foot British yacht for an hour, breaking the rudder and flooding the engine room, prompting a mayday call and an emergency rescue. In the coastal town of Barbate, Spain, everybody has a story. Manuel Mariana was followed by a pod of orcas during his nightly fishing trip. He says, of course, they can sink you. Once the water enters, there's nothing you can do. As a fisherman, do you consider these orcas to be your enemy? No, no, no. No, he says. We're the ones in their habitat. Sailors have tried all kinds of ways to deter orcas when they show up, like making noise, throwing sand in the water, or turning off the engine and playing dead. Do you think we'll ever know for sure why these orca interactions are happening? No, because we're not orcas. So you can do a lot of science and studies and whatever, but in the end, it's such an unknown world for us, what's happening below the water. Scientists tell me that for better or for worse, these orca run-ins are not going to stop anytime soon. After all, this is their habitat. Humans and wildlife are simply going to have to find some safe way to share these waters.