Iberian orca seen for first time in Cornish waters

Lisa Young
BBC News, Cornwall
Isaac Ogden One of the orcas is breaching the surface of the sea. Sunlight is reflecting off its black dorsal fin and a thick white strip can be seen on the side of its head. Its head has caused a small wave.Isaac Ogden
The orcas were spotted near Bishop Rock on Wednesday evening

Wildlife experts have confirmed the first ever sighting of orcas from Iberia in Cornish waters.

The two orcas were seen by Joe Pender as he conducted a seabird survey near St Agnes, the Isles of Scilly on Wednesday evening.

Rebecca Allen of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust said it was the first time members of the pod, which inhabit the Straits of Gibraltar in winter, had been recorded off Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Sarah Matthews of Dolphin Zone which identified the mammals said the pair was thought to be "the last of their very, very tiny family".

Joe Pender A close-up of the dorsal fin on one of the orcas. It looks dark grey in the light and is smooth, shiny and sunlight is reflecting off it. The surface of the water is slightly rippled.Joe Pender
Joe Pender said he last saw an orca about 25 years ago

Joe Pender was the skipper aboard the Scilly Pelagics seabird survey who saw the orcas, which are the largest members of the dolphin family.

He told the BBC he had spotted some fins about a mile away near Bishop Rock and as he drew nearer he had realised they did not belong to common dolphins as they were "far too big".

"As we got closer, we realised they were two orcas together," he said.

Mr Pender said everyone on the boat had been "ecstatic" as they spent about half an hour observing the mammals.

He said: "I've seen an orca very distantly some 25 years ago and that's the only one I've ever seen.

"They're really rare, it's one thing we really didn't expect to see here."

He said it was possible the pair had been in the area for a few days and a fisherman thought he had seen the pair earlier in the week.

Mr Pender added: "There's been a few seals coming up in the nets having been eaten, it's possible they [the orcas] may be the culprits."

Isaac Ogden The dorsal fins of the two orcas can be seen breaching the surface of the sea and a patch of white near the head of one of them is visible. Sunlight reflects off the fins.Isaac Ogden
Ms Allen said the Iberian population spent winters in the Straits of Gibraltar

Ms Matthews said she had initially thought the pair could be two bull orcas based in Scotland known as John Coe and Aquarius, which circumnavigated the UK in 2021.

On closer inspection of the photos she realised the pair seen near St Agnes were female and since the sea surface temperature was high at the moment, she checked the 80-page Iberian orca catalogue.

She identified one of the pair as C002, Freyja, an Iberian orca but from a tiny pod.

Ms Matthews said: "There used to be three in the pod but now there are only two.

"She is a female and she is always seen with this other one, although we need to get further identification on the second whale, we think she may be C001.

"She is somehow distinct from the other Iberian orcas and they really are a mystery."

'Last of their family'

Ms Matthews said most of the Iberian orcas fed on tuna but this pair ate small fish.

"They are quite an elusive pair that appears to pop up randomly in different places," she added.

She said they had never been seen either with calves or other orcas.

"They are possibly the last of their eco-type or of their very, very small family," she said.

"We know they are in their 20s at least so hopefully we'll have them for some time, but they really are likely to be the last of their current family."

Joe Pender The two orcas. Both their dorsal fins are showing above the surface of the sea and the top of the head of one of them can just be seen. The sunlight is reflecting of their fins.Joe Pender
Ms Allen said the orcas were unlikely to stay in the area as they were fast-moving mammals chasing fast-moving prey

Ms Allen said the Environmental Records Office for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly had recorded "so many changes in the type of species we see".

She said: "We're seeing more tuna, common dolphin, humpback whales and there's been a big boom in the octopus population.

"This year seems to have been a notable year for lots of different species and it really feels there's been a change that's driving this.

"We don't understand what this might be but it's probably linked to warming seas and pushing populations of species further north."

"As much as it's really exciting, it's a little bit of a concern," she added.

Mr Pender agreed: "We're seeing a lot more humpbacks, fin whale and blue fin tuna - everything's on the move."

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