You will be part of our Cádiz crew
with the main objective safeguarding and protect the Orca population of the
Strait of Gibraltar.
What's the matter?
Beginning
in 2020, the Iberian Orca, a subpopulation of Orcas (Orcinus orca), which is
critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List (only approx. 40
individuals are left), began interacting with boats and ramming/playing with
their rudders in waters off the Iberian Peninsula, in specific in the Strait of
Gibraltar, where they follow the seasonal migration of Atlantic bluefin tuna
(Thunnus thynnus), their primary food source, staying there mainly from early
spring until the end of October. Over 500 reported interactions have been
reported from 2020 to 2023. These interactions have led to a huge debate of how
to handle this topic and why the animals are doing this. As the Iberian Orca is already facing
many challenges such as maritime traffic, noise pollution, chemical pollution,
industrial & military effluents and aggressions from local fishermen
towards the animals, now they also face aggressions and attacks from
recreational boaters.
In
August 2023 it has been documented that a recreational boating crew has shot
the animals as there were approaching the vessel. WeWhale charged files against
the captain and boat owner to set an example that attacks towards those animals
cannot be tolerated.
As Orcas
are highly intelligent animals, they often transmit behaviors from generation
to generation. As efforts has been undertaken to control or stop these
interactions, it is expected that the Iberian Orca population will continue to
interact with boats in the upcoming years.
As a
result of the lately aggressions from many recreational boaters it is expected
that the future situation of those animals is highly threatened and in danger. 2024,
2025 and 2026 will be crucial years to guarantee the survival of the Iberian
Orca subpopulation.
WeWhale
is addressing this topic by having a surveillance campaign in place, both out
at sea and on land. 5 days a week our surveillance boat will be out at sea to
i) prevent attacks from boaters towards the animals, ii) survey the Iberian
Orca population and iii) track and analyze interactions among boats and the
Orcas. At the same time our land-based crew will make its observations by
surveying the Orca population from strategic locations along the coastline.
In the Safeguarding
Iberian Orca conservation project in Cadiz, a wide range of exciting tasks await
you. Tasks consist for example of boat preparation, searching for Orcas out at
sea and on land, taking pictures, ensuring correct data entry and caption of possible
attacks from boaters towards the animals or documenting Orca and boat
interactions and create social media content.
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