Orca attack

Pendle Witch said:
I have made enquiries about these devises and intend to purchase in the near future, however I am somewhat disturbed to have read that Spanish authorities have forbidden their use in Spanish territorial waters??
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It's certainly a dilemna. Does one have to sail in international waters to use a "pinger" and stay legal? There's some evidence suggests that artificial noise in the marine environment, including infrasound and low frequency noise emanating from wind farms, does poses a real danger to the health of marine mammals. Without wishing to cause harm, can we not learn some lessons on noise-production techniques that would deter?
 
KeithMD said:
It's certainly a dilemna. Does one have to sail in international waters to use a "pinger" and stay legal? There's some evidence suggests that artificial noise in the marine environment, including infrasound and low frequency noise emanating from wind farms, does poses a real danger to the health of marine mammals. Without wishing to cause harm, can we not learn some lessons on noise-production techniques that would deter?
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It is said that firecrackers are effective, not that I carry them of course;)
 
This might be of interest to some.

The Joint ACCOBAMS-ASCOBANS workshop with navies on underwater noise and cetaceans will take place from 26 to 27 November 2024 in Toulon, France, kindly hosted by the Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée.

Proposed workshop sessions
  1. Use of sonar and impact on cetaceans.
  2. Current mitigation procedures implemented by navies.
  3. Acoustic monitoring of cetaceans and acoustic deterrent devices.
  4. Critical cetacean habitats, IMMAs and MPAs.
  5. Communication.
  6. Recommendations.
  7. Next steps.
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Joint ACCOBAMS-ASCOBANS workshop with navies on underwater noise and cetaceans | ASCOBANS
 
KeithMD said:
It's certainly a dilemna. Does one have to sail in international waters to use a "pinger" and stay legal? There's some evidence suggests that artificial noise in the marine environment, including infrasound and low frequency noise emanating from wind farms, does poses a real danger to the health of marine mammals. Without wishing to cause harm, can we not learn some lessons on noise-production techniques that would deter?
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General consensus down here says that pingers do not work. People should save their money and spend it on the more effective deterrents and enrol on the Orca.pt and orcas location telegram page for up to the hour info.
 
The authorities don't care about sailors; they care about orcas. Anytime you read any official advice, you need to remember this fact.

Because the authorities won't help sailors, we are left to figure it out for ourselves.

Even though the laws of most countries allow people to use deadly force when they believe their life, or the lives of others, are in jeopardy, nobody wants to be the "test case" with orcas.

Therefore, those who have successfully deterred an orca attack are mostly not keen to advertise it.

what we do know is:

Nobody thinks that pingers offer any protection.

Anecdotal evidence is that firecrackers do offer protection. They are easy to acquire, and easy to deploy.

So: do what you need to do..., and don't tell anyone about it.
 
Laser310 said:
Anecdotal evidence is that firecrackers do offer protection. They are easy to acquire, and easy to deploy.
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Whilst easy to acquire in Spain, not the case in Portugal where possession of fireworks is illegal without a display license. Although we have to carry them, even distress flares are difficult to buy without written permission from Policia Maritima.
 
Graham376 said:
Whilst easy to acquire in Spain, not the case in Portugal where possession of fireworks is illegal without a display license. Although we have to carry them, even distress flares are difficult to buy without written permission from Policia Maritima.
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And if you do accidentally acquire some, don't store them in your flare container in case the PM come on board to inspect and ask to see the dates on your flares.
 
Pendle Witch said:
As Orcas are apparently a protected species it would appear to be almost impossible to physically defend your vessel, despite the (remote) possibility of danger to human life, and the cost of possible repairs, rescue etc.
There is a known, possible electronic solution apparently widely used in the fishing industry to deter sea mamals from "stealing" from the catch nets. These devises, called 'pingers', are suspended in the water, powered by internal batteries, which emit a warning signal to scare away the 'thieves' and is said to be effective and harmless.
I have made enquiries about these devises and intend to purchase in the near future, however I am somewhat disturbed to have read that Spanish authorities have forbidden their use in Spanish territorial waters??
As these attacks, however playful, could result in dangers to life are actually, and it seems, predominantly occurring in Spanish waters, what is the reason for this ban?
To avoid these attacks are vessels using this devise to sail further from shore to avoid this ban and to enter the Mediterranean on the south side of the straits away from Spanish Waters, or to withdraw the device and risk attack.
Maybe my information is incorrect and I invite enlightenment from the marine fraternity, but please refrain from any insults about my ignorance of the facts, just educate me!
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Pingers don't work. I have two for sale if you want them, PM me.

- W
 
Graham376 said:
Whilst easy to acquire in Spain, not the case in Portugal where possession of fireworks is illegal without a display license. Although we have to carry them, even distress flares are difficult to buy without written permission from Policia Maritima.
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I guess you could whip up a pipe bomb if firecrackers are hard to get?
 
greeny said:
And if you do accidentally acquire some, don't store them in your flare container in case the PM come on board to inspect and ask to see the dates on your flares.
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A series of loud reports is a distress signal. You could point at the Solas card which they'll also expect to see on board..
 
Laser310 said:
I heard a pretty new Arcona recently suffered damage to its keel.

Does anyone have any more info about this?
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Not heard of anything other than a couple of sightings recently. For some reason I've lost my orca.pt login and can't get in now. Plus I've been in uk for a couple of weeks so no local news to tap into. Back in Portugal now so will get up to speed on Monday probably.
 
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ENGLISH VERSION
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🛥 Sailors needed for orca interaction survey! 🐋

Hello everyone, we are Florian Stefan Schmidt (master student in human-animal interaction) & Antonio J. Osuna-Mascaró (PhD cognitive biologist). We're from the Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, and we're studying interactions between orcas and ships in the Iberian Peninsula. If you have had an encounter with orcas while sailing and they have interacted with you or your boat, we would like to hear about your experience.

Take our short survey (10-15 minutes) to share your insights into orca behaviour, your response strategies and the impact on your vessel. Your input is vital to help us understand these interactions and develop better safety guidelines for all sailors. Your responses will be anonymous!!!

👉 Link to survey: Microsoft Forms

Thank you for your help in supporting research that will benefit both the sailing community and marine life. Have a safe trip and thank you for your participation!



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SPANISH VERSION
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¡Se necesitan marineros para una encuesta sobre la interacción con orcas! 🐋

Hola a todos, somos Florian Stefan Schmidt, estudiante de máster en interacción animal-humano, y Antonio J. Osuna-Mascaró, doctor en biología cognitiva. Trabajamos en el Instituto de Investigación Messerli de la Universidad de Medicina Veterinaria de Viena y estamos estudiando las interacciones entre las orcas y los barcos en la Península Ibérica. Si has tenido un encuentro con orcas mientras navegabas y estas han interaccionado con tu barco o contigo, nos gustaría que nos contaras tu experiencia.

Te invitamos a responder a nuestra breve encuesta (10-15 minutos), en la que podrás compartir tus impresiones sobre el comportamiento de las orcas, sus estrategias de respuesta y el impacto que han tenido en tu embarcación. Tu aportación es vital para ayudarnos a entender estas interacciones y desarrollar mejores pautas de seguridad para todos los navegantes. Tus respuestas serán anónimas!!!


Enlace a la encuesta: Microsoft Forms

Gracias por tu ayuda, tu participación es muy importante para la investigación, que beneficiará tanto a la comunidad náutica como a la vida marina. ¡Buena navegación!



Survey_Orca_Interactions_2024.png
 
Looks like a better than average survey with good direction and objectives.

Also international function and a bit of targetting off summer risks

Is there any way we can support it, pls ?

T
 
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