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.