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An endangered sperm whale – nicknamed Julio by scientists – has been killed in a collision with a vessel in the busy Strait of Gibraltar.<\/p>\n
Researchers say this is the fifth sperm whale to die after being struck by a boat since they started monitoring the population in the area more than 10 years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was horrible – there was a lot of blood in the water,\u201d said whale researcher Dr Renaud de Stephanis of Friday’s incident.<\/p>\n
The vessel hit the male sperm whale at about 18:00 local time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Dr de Stephanis leads\u00a0Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans (CIRCE)<\/a> and is calling for ferries in the narrow strait to have marine mammal observers on board.<\/p>\n \u201cIf ferries had people looking out for whales and dolphins – and sharing what they see – it could help boats to avoid hotspots of the animals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n This incident highlights the danger that ship traffic poses to marine mammals. Videos captured by observers shortly after the collision showed a deep gash on the whale\u2019s body.<\/p>\n Dr de Stephanis said that, every two to three years, a sperm whale in the area is killed in a similar collision. \u2018We don\u2019t have records of every incident,\u201d he said. “There are probably more. But it\u2019s already too much.\u201d<\/p>\n