In recent months, there have been several attacks on ships perpetrated by groups of orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar. Some of them have ended up with ships drifting or sinking.
Initially, the reasons for this behavior were unknown, but experts believe that these marine animals attacked the rudders of ships for fun.
Now, scientists say that sharks that live in the Gulf of Mexico (mainly the bull and the piece), are changing their behavior and have learned that the presence of fishing boats nearby means for them the possibility of obtaining food more easily.
The sound of “engine means food”
In the National Geographic program “Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie”, a documentary that will be available on June 30, fishermen and experts confirm having observed this phenomenon.
“We’re fishing in the same place that sharks hunt,” marine biologist Jasmin Graham, founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences, says in an excerpt from the video.
“Sharks learn very, very quickly. They learn that motor means food. So they start coming directly for the boats. Now we compete directly with them for the same fish, and that’s when predation occurs,” explains the expert. .
Behavior change
Marcus Drymon, a shark scientist at Mississippi State University, reported that cases of shark predation in the region have increased significantly over the past ten years.
See alsoGladis, the orca that flips boats and shows others how to do it “Although it is difficult to demonstrate empirically, it appears that there is a behavioral change (that is, a learned response),” he told the scientific outlet Live Science.
Dangers to sharks
Drymon also emphasizes that these observations coincide almost unanimously with the fishermen’s reports. The expert suggests that the encounters generate conflicts between the two and represent a danger to the sharks.
“Unfortunately, there is a fairly significant risk – to sharks – in terms of retaliation. This has been quantified through surveys of charter captains and commercial fishermen, two groups whose livelihoods are directly affected by predation.
See alsoPirates of the Caribbean actor Tamayo Perry died after being attacked by a shark Likewise, with the increase in recreational fishing, sharks are also coming to prey on the coasts: “It’s as if we had opened a buffet,” actor Anthony Mackie highlights in the video.
“We need to make sure there are enough fish to support predators in our ecosystem (including humans) and enough healthy habitats for fish so they can disperse more widely,” marine biologist Graham told Live Science.
