Coast guard officers were called to tow a yacht to port after two aggressive orcas damaged the vessel’s rudder near Guilvinec, Brittany.
The orcas collided with a sailing boat off the coast of Brittany, approximately 1,300 km north of the Strait of Gibraltar, where most of these attacks by the species have been reported, according to Live Science. The incident occurred on July 16 off Guilvinec, a town located 65 km southeast of Brest in northwestern France. The couple aboard the 12-meter wooden yacht was unable to control the vessel after the two orcas (Orcinus orca) broke the rudder. They were forced to contact local coast guard officers for assistance in safely towing the yacht back to port in Guilvinec.
Researchers are uncertain which population of orcas in Europe is responsible for the recent incident in Brittany. (Photo: Stuart Westmorland).
The incident is one of nearly 700 direct interactions between orcas and vessels recorded since July 2020 along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Europe and North Africa. Approximately half of these interactions have resulted in damage ranging from minor to severe to the vessels involved, according to a report earlier this year published in the journal Ingeniería Civil.
Orcas almost always target the rudder. They have learned to effectively damage this component. Research findings and observations link these interactions to a population of about 35 Iberian orcas. Out of this population, 16 individuals, including 4 adults and 12 juveniles, are believed to frequently interact with boats, although their motivations remain unclear.
One hypothesis is that the orcas are “bored teenagers” seeking entertainment. However, some scientists suggest that interactions with boats are a distress behavior that emerged as a response to traumatic events. This could be linked to incidents of entrapment and related to the yacht industry. It represents a psychological trauma that triggers reactions in a highly intelligent wild species like orcas.
Previously, according to the research team, a female orca named White Gladis had experienced a painful moment, resulting in her starting to ram boats. Younger orcas may mimic this behavior.
Researchers are still unclear about the population of orcas behind the recent attacks off the coast of France. Iberian orcas hunt their preferred prey, the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), from the Strait of Gibraltar to the Bay of Biscay in the summer, meaning they could be hunting offshore near Brittany.
