Killer whales are harassing and hunting down fishing boats in Alaska, often tracking them for days before attacking their nets full of fish. The whales are smart and can distinguish between different kinds of boats, even recognizing the drone of the fishing boats’ hydraulic systems as they lower their nets into the water. And they’ve learned to ignore the electronic horns that were designed to drive them away; instead, the sound of the horn, one captain told the National Post, “became a dinner bell.”
The problem is widespread, covering the Gulf of Alaska, the Aleutians and up to the Bering Sea. One captain said he spent 4,000 gallons of fuel trying to outrun a pod of orcas last month, and then drifted silently for 18 hours, before losing 12,000 pounds of his catch to the whales who were able to saw through his nets.
Orcas are known for their complex and patient hunting techniques, often following boats or circling them and harassing them; they operate like “a motorcycle gang,” one captain said.
Read more: https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/killer-whales-attack-fishing-boats-alaska
