This project seeks to activate the conservation plan for killer whales in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cadiz.

The killer whale (Orcinus orca) is a species listed as “vulnerable” in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species regulated by Royal Decree 139/2011, of 4 February. This CIRCE project seeks to activate the conservation plan for killer whales in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar and the Gulf of Cadiz.

To this end, the initiative focuses on a series of actions in order to know more precisely its distribution within the Natura 2000 Network, update the ecological knowledge of the species and expand knowledge about the threats it faces, as well as what conservation measures should be activated. All the information collected will allow the conservation plan and the monitoring program of the orcas to be drawn up with precision.

Among the actions of the project is the updating of the available information on orcas for the period 2011-2015, which will be compared with the period 1998-2010. Up to seven orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar will be monitored by satellite from late summer to early autumn by telemetry in order to analyse possible migration processes. In order to determine possible longer-term migration processes, a study of stable isotope ratios in killer whale teeth from the peninsula will be carried out.

On the other hand, within the framework of the initiative, a catalog of identification of orcas will be created at the national level, which will strengthen actions to protect the species.

All the information will be used to determine what threats the species suffers and what conservation measures are necessary for its protection. In addition, the conservation status of the orcas will be updated according to the criteria of the IUCN and the Flora and Fauna Committee made up of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the autonomous communities.