Birds in South of Spain II

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - Orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar

15th of august of 2008, Tarifa, Spain, the most austral point of Europe. The Red Tuna, Thunnus thynnus is going back on his migration rute after the breeding season in the Mediterranean waters. There is minimum of two groups of Orcas, Orcinus orca, have they hunting areas in the oposit sites of the Strait. One of them is placed near Cape Spartel, Marroco, and there is one, who you can see between the cape Trafalgar and Tarifa. As you my know, there is 3 Almadrabas or Atunaras (atun-tuna), Trap-net in english. The Almadraba is a kind of labyrinth of nets, that takes the fish in to a "pocket". This net, when is lokated the fish, is pooled up by hand and a bloody fight is going on until the hughe Tunas are on the boats. It is an art of fishing, that lets the small fish go and only big tunas are picked up. The almadrabas are placed in Tarifa, Zahara de los Atunes and Barbate. There is ancient town, roman colony, called Baelo Claudia or Bolonia. There is roman ruins on the beach. In side are spetial build halls for the solted tuna meat and for the "Garoum", somethink like ancient kind of catsup made from the intestines of the tuna and some aromatic herbs. It was very well payed for the souse in the ancient Roman Empire.Look like the ancient town has his own Senat and Forum. Is it incredible to see roman ruins on the sea site. The Mediterranean waters are more solted then the Atlantic ocean's water. Because of flotability, the Ocean water pools in the Mediterranean sea on the top, and the Mediterranean currents are going under. The Tuna entrance in the spring with the currents on surfice. There is only small nombers of tunas are fished with life bites. Dolphins are often cached. This picture is from april 2007.

From the antique times the Orcas are bean helping the fishermen from the Almadraba. The three tarp nets are placed exacly where the submarine currents appearce on surface and the Tuna uses the currents to migrate in with the ocean water and out-with the submarine currents. Depence of the landscape under water and the moon fases, the Tuna appearse and desappearce. The Orcas on this side of the strait to! There is e cave near Zahara de los Atunes, without any protection from the Government. There are many paintings, some of them are dated as much as 18,000 years. There yo can see a big tuna hnaged, boat and some line of dots goes along the cave. In the entrance tehre is a cut, whre on sunset, the last light every day, after 21 of december points one of the dots. There is the Sagitaruis sighn, and the calendar finishes with the Aries sighn, on the 21 of march, when the first tuna comes back from the Mediterranean sea. The Aries is the sign of the sheep, and one of the old names of the Orcas is Lamb of the seas. Hiere it is the man on the boat, more than 5,000 years old.The entrance of the trap net is exactly placed where the tuna emerges. The group of Orcas helps to carry the fish in the nets. Some of the tunas are chased to the beach and people even finde fishes on the sand, tried to escape from the orcas. We sow one of the orcas very near to the sand, my be on 10-15 meters. One cuple was walking with they dog. The dog was backing at the orca, but the humans was to bussy in they conversation . This are the orcas we sow from teh coast. The other group, is the one on the marrocan coast, and is rounding the cape Espartel, and comes to the banks of Fenix, where the marrocan fishermen still fishing by hand, like the in the old fenician and roman times. Tuna, sharks, and other spicies are captured. The Orcas are waiting for the tuna to be cached and then attack. There are more than 20 or 25 fishing boats. The Orcas goes arround and then, if the no tuna comes, goes back to Tanger and the cape Espartel. Many companies are working now with the whale-watching. Some are more carefull, others not. But the biggest threat is the bussy marine traffic and the future is not clear- Morroco is building enormous port and another, nex to it, military port is planed to be build soon. In Tarifa is planned a bigger port to, destoring big part of importent submarine rocks and wild life. This is just to park the many speed boats that will carry vehicles over the Strait, and the tunell under. There are two cables across for electricity from Marroco, and of course, was digged up the natural park Los Lances, where many spicies of birds, protected, breed and rest in they migration rute. But for the moment, we can enjoy the most impresive sightings of orcas in the entrance of the Mediterranean sea.