The Directorate General of Biodiversity, Forests, and Desertification within Miteco, the body responsible for the conservation of protected marine species, is overseeing the proceedings. The conservation organization WeWhale alerted the Ministry on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 11th, providing crucial information. The following day, preliminary investigative actions were launched to determine the facts and, if necessary, initiate sanctioning proceedings against those potentially responsible.
According to the organizations WeWhale and Iberian Orca Guardians, the injuries observed on the dorsal fin and back of Toñi, the area's longest-living orca, have appeared in recent weeks. Their appearance, number, and distribution suggest they may have been caused by shotgun pellets. These groups lament that such a cruel act not only targets an animal in critical danger of extinction but also attacks one of the last remaining individuals of this population.
“"The longest-living orca in the Strait of Gibraltar has appeared this week with marks consistent with pellet shots. It is a vulnerable species and any harm against it is a serious crime."
The orca population in the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cadiz is classified as vulnerable in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species (CEEA). Law 42/2007 on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity explicitly prohibits killing, capturing, pursuing, or disturbing them, punishable by fines of up to 2 million euros and criminal liability.
This incident recalls the event in the summer of 2023 when a sailboat's crew fired at cetaceans near Tarifa, an act that was recorded and for which the authorities later located the individuals involved. Since 2020, interactions between vessels and orcas have been recorded in the Atlantic waters of the Iberian Peninsula.
The Ministries of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, and Ecological Transition have issued recommendations for mariners. These include maintaining a distance of no less than 500 meters from cetaceans, avoiding physical contact, not throwing harmful objects or substances at them, and not obstructing their movement or trajectory.
