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JoeMerchant [soylentnews.org] writes:

An orca repeatedly rammed a yacht in the North Sea off Shetland on Monday, in a concerning development following previous interactions between the cetaceans and vessels in the strait of Gibraltar and Portugal...

Experts believe this could be play among juvenile whales. Dr Alfredo López, of the Grupo de Trabajo Orca Atlántica in Portugal, said: “We know that many boats use fishing lines from the stern to fish and it is a motivation for orcas, they come to examine them.” But the focus on boats’ rudders may come from adult whales who have developed an aversion towards boats, perhaps because they “had a bad experience and try to stop the boat so as not to repeat it”.

Most surprising is the fact that this learned behaviour should have appeared nearly 3,000 miles (4,800km) from Gibraltar. Dr Conor Ryan, a scientific adviser to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, who has studied orca pods off the Scottish coast, said: “I’d be reluctant to say it cannot be learned from [the southern population]. It’s possible that this ‘fad’ is leapfrogging through the various pods/communities.”

How long before "whale watching" tour boats have to harden their propulsion / steering systems to survive Orca attacks?

Original Submission