"Since May 2020, there have been at least 673 documented interactions between these orcas, which are the most powerful ocean predators, and boats," highlighted Naomi Rose, from the Animal Welfare Institute.

"But this behaviour has more in common with violent play than with aggression," defended the scientist, in an interview with the Efe agency.

Naomi Rose stressed that, after breaking the rudder, the orcas play with the pieces and leave.

"Throughout this period, they have only caused seven boats to sink," she pointed out.

In most of the incidents documented off the coast of Portugal and Spain, a group of orcas hit the rudders of small boats and then fled at high speed.

There are no reports of whale attacks on people on board the boats.

"Orcas, which are a critically endangered marine population, are very intelligent. If they wanted to sink the boat, they would, but the goal seems to be to hit the rudder and only in 20% of the incidents did they damage the ship, making it impossible to navigate," she stressed.

This was also the conclusion of the experts gathered in Madrid for the 'workshop' sponsored by the International Whaling Commission and the governments of Spain and Portugal.

The behaviour of the Iberian orcas is associated with play or socialisation, "perhaps stimulated by the abundance and recent increase in prey, which reduces the time needed to catch food and by the reduction of negative interactions with fishing," can be read in the 'workshop' report.

Rose pointed out that for years sailors have used different methods to repel Iberian orcas, including illegal actions such as throwing fireworks, spilling gasoline into the water or small explosives.

Among the measures that are legal because they do not harm the orcas and may deter them, the biologist pointed out the modification of the rudders "in a way that does not affect navigation but makes the rudder less fun and less attractive", and the placement of ropes around the ship.

"For some reason, we don't know which, orcas don't like vertical lines in the water," she added.

Another measure is real-time communication to boats about the location of orca groups, with an estimated five in this population whose habitat ranges from the Strait of Gibraltar to the waters off Galicia.

The Iberian subpopulation of orcas is characterised by a rounded head, a black dorsal layer with little contrast and feeds mainly on bluefin tuna.

Read Also: Dolphins swim next to Tróia beach. Children were dazzled (Portuguese version)