Guide to Navigating Safely in Areas with Orca Activity

The Directorate-General for the Merchant Marine, part of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, has presented a new campaign to prevent interactions between orcas and vessels, in collaboration with Barbate Town Council.

During the information session held at the Casa de Cultura, the preventive measures maintained by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility and the Ministry for the Ecological Transition were outlined. Sailors are advised to avoid navigating within the high-risk areas marked on the maps published on the Ministry’s website, covering the Galician coast and the area between the Gulf of Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar, and to plan routes as close to the coastline as safely possible.

These recommendations apply throughout the year, although particular caution should be exercised between April and October, when the likelihood of orcas being present in these areas of the Atlantic is considered to be higher.

This year, a significant increase in recorded interactions has been observed in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cádiz, with 31 incidents reported to date, compared with 17 during the whole of last year.

In the event of an interaction, whether involving a motor vessel or a sailing yacht, the recommendation is not to stop the vessel and to proceed towards the coast and shallower waters. Those on board are also warned of the risk involved in approaching the sides of the vessel. In general, they should remain in safe areas to protect themselves from possible impacts or sudden movements that could cause injury or result in someone falling overboard.

It is also recalled that the use of deterrent measures against orcas that could cause death, injury, disturbance or distress to the animals is prohibited. Whenever it does not pose a risk to either people or the animals, sailors are encouraged to photograph the orcas to improve monitoring and identification records. Photographs should be sent by email to: orcas@sasemar.es.

Anyone who sights orcas or experiences an interaction is also asked to notify the nearest Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre on VHF channel 16. These centres are available to sailors at all times and will respond to any emergency arising from an encounter.

Those affected are also requested to provide information about the vessel, including its type, length, hull colour, flag and registration details, as well as information about the encounter, including the date and time, position, duration and type of event, whether an interaction or sighting, any damage caused and the number of orcas observed. This information should be sent to the email address indicated above.

The information session featured contributions from the Director-General of the Merchant Marine and President of Maritime Rescue, Ana Núñez; the Mayor of Barbate, Miguel Molina; the Andalusian adviser for Maritime Safety and the Environment, José Casado; the Cádiz Harbour Master, Luciano Grandal; and the head of the Tarifa Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, José C. Maraver.

The Director-General stated: “Our intention is to work with all the parties involved to ensure that this phenomenon, which has been recurring in recent years but remains relatively new, has the least possible impact on sailors in this area and in others such as Finisterre and the Cantabrian coast. In recent years, we have continuously monitored the situation, analysed its development and adapted our actions to the scientific and technical information available, and we will continue to do so for as long as a single incident occurs.”

José Casado also explained how interactions and the associated recommendations have evolved since 2023, stressing that the advice provided is not arbitrary. It is supported by the international orca workshop held in Madrid in February 2024 at the request of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission, which was attended by orca experts from several countries and representatives responsible for managing the species in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

“The recommendations are the result of the consensus reached between maritime authorities, species managers and the scientific community, and they are and will continue to be reviewed as knowledge of this phenomenon develops.”

He also advised sailors to plan their passages carefully, as doing so “can reduce risk, improve navigational safety and strengthen the protection of orcas”.