ORCA report presents key findings on whale and dolphin activity

Preliminary results of one research project into how bigger whales behave around large vessels showed that ships of a certain size can take effective avoidance action and reduce collision risk if the whale is sighted beyond 1000 m. 

Many of the 2023 findings offer new insights to help inform decision making on conservation measures globally.

Gathering data

Since 2006, ORCA has conducted effort based cetacean surveys – mainly from ferries and cruise ships – resulting in 1,341 surveys and 217,426 individual animals being recorded. A total of 44 different species of whales, dolphins and porpoises have been identified during this period. 

In 2023 alone, 330,000 km of marine surveys were conducted by ORCA, recording 55,604 whales and dolphins in oceans worldwide from the Arctic to the Antarctic, the North and South Atlantic and the Pacific to the Mediterranean. 

A significant part of ORCA's work is carried out by citizen scientists. 

Antarctica 

ORCA’s ongoing work in the Antarctic in conjunction with British Antarctic Survey, HX and the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands has shown that humpback whales recorded near the Antarctic Peninsula were present in far higher numbers early in the season than was anticipated. The waters around Elephant Island in particular appear to have become a hotspot for fin whales, states the report. 

Bay of Biscay 

More than anywhere else in the world, ORCA has expertise about the Bay of Biscay. Repeat surveys over 25 years have enabled the charity to make a successful case for the establishment of Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) in this area. Specifically, the Northern Continental Shelf of the Bay of Biscay IMMA, the Southern Biscay Canyon System IMMA, Biscay Shelf Edge and Slope IMMA and Biscay Abyssal Plain IMMA.

Geographical scope

Over recent years the geographical scope of ORCA’s work has expanded from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean to cover much of the world’s ocean including the Southern Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and Northeast Pacific Ocean, which are now monitored regularly.