This open letter from a number of experts may be of interest to the MARMAM community. As many will be aware, the critically endangered subpopulation of orcas that inhabit the waters surrounding the Iberian Peninsula has been interacting with boats (sometimes to the grave detriment of the vessel) for some years now, bumping, ramming, striking, and otherwise interacting primarily with the rudders, occasionally disabling the boat to the point where it cannot navigate. Five vessels have been sunk during these interactions. There have been a minimum of 483 interactions to date. The media have reported extensively on this situation and many of these articles portray these interactions as "attacks" - there are several narratives associated with these interactions as well, including that the orcas are seeking revenge for past wrongs etc. Mariners have been seeking to deter orcas from their vessels, even before any interaction starts - they are dropping firecrackers, pouring diesel fuel on the water surface, and throwing things at the whales - these actions have not only not succeeded in deterring the animals, but the interactions have escalated and expanded within the population (at least 15 individuals have been identified during these interactions, in a population of about 40). Management options (for the whales, in terms of non-harmful deterrence and mitigation, and for mariners, in terms of advice on what to do if orcas approach in the region) are being discussed within several bodies, including the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlantica (GTOA, the Atlantic Orca Working Group), several members of which have signed the letter. This letter is not intended to proffer management recommendations, but is simply an effort to reframe the narrative publicly. While many experts have been approached for interviews and have done their best to reframe the narrative, there has not yet been a group effort to make an expert statement. This open letter was an effort to address that. We are still taking signatures from experts. We will put out an updated version, with these additional signatures, later in September. The letter is being distributed by the signatories - via social media, traditional media, websites, and so on. The link below is only one of several that may now exist for this document. https://awionline.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/Open-Letter-Iber... Thank you, Naomi Rose ____________________________ [13_AWILogo_ONLY] NAOMI A. ROSE, PH.D. Marine Mammal Scientist ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE T: +1 202 446 2120 ~ C: +1 240 401 4269 www.awionline.org<http://www.awionline.org/> P Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing
