Editing Orca (section)

==Relationship with humans==

===Indigenous cultures===
{{see also|Animal worship}}
[[File:Haida Jade.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Haida people|Haida]] sculpture by [[Bill Reid]]|alt=Jade carving of a killer whale with exaggerated fins and bared teeth. Its body and fins are engraved with nested ovals and other patterns.]]

The [[indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast]] feature orcas throughout [[Northwest Coast art|their art]], history, spirituality and religion. The [[Haida people|Haida]] regarded orcas as the most powerful animals in the ocean, and their mythology tells of orcas living in houses and towns under the sea. According to these stories, they took on human form when submerged, and humans who drowned went to live with them.{{sfn|Francis|Hewlett|2007|pp=115–120}} For the [[Kwakwaka'wakw]], the orca was regarded as the ruler of the undersea world, with [[sea lion]]s for slaves and dolphins for warriors.{{sfn|Francis|Hewlett|2007|pp=115–120}} In [[Nuu-chah-nulth people|Nuu-chah-nulth]] and [[Kwakwaka'wakw mythology]], orcas may embody the souls of deceased chiefs.{{sfn|Francis|Hewlett|2007|pp=115–120}} The [[Tlingit people|Tlingit]] of southeastern Alaska regarded the orca as custodian of the sea and a benefactor of humans.{{sfn|Ford|Ellis|Balcomb|2000|p=11}}
The [[Lummi people|Lummi]] consider orca to be people, referring to them as "qwe'lhol'mechen" which means "our relations under the waves".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gibson |first1=Caitlin |title=The call of Tokitae |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/interactive/2023/tokitae-lolita-orca/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=December 10, 2023 |date=December 5, 2023 |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205234228/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/interactive/2023/tokitae-lolita-orca/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Maritime Archaic]] people of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] also had great respect for orcas, as evidenced by stone carvings found in a 4,000-year-old burial at the [[Port au Choix Archaeological Site]].<ref>Rollmann, Hans (1999). [http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/religion.html Religion in Newfoundland and Labrador] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504120020/http://www.heritage.nf.ca/society/religion.html |date=May 4, 2009 }}, Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage, Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved January 26, 2010</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.2307/277719|author=Tuck|first1= James A.|year=1971 |title=An Archaic Cemetery at Port Au Choix, Newfoundland|journal=American Antiquity|volume=36|issue=3|pages=343–358|jstor=277719|s2cid=163391715 }}</ref>

In the tales and beliefs of the [[Siberian Yupik]] people, orcas are said to appear as [[Wolf|wolves]] in winter, and wolves as orcas in summer.<ref name=rubow>''The orphan boy with his sister'', p. 156 in Rubcova, E. S. (1954). ''Materials on the Language and Folklore of the Eskimoes, Vol. I, Chaplino Dialect''. Leningrad: [[Russian Academy of Sciences|Academy of Sciences of the USSR]]. Original data: Е.С. Рубцова: Материалы по языку и фольклору эскимосов (чаплинский диалект). Академия Наук СССР. Москва-Ленинград, 1954</ref><ref name=menow>Menovshchikov, G. A. (1962). ''Grammar of the language of Asian Eskimos''. Vol. I., pp. 439, 441. Moscow and Leningrad: [[Russian Academy of Sciences|Academy of Sciences of the USSR]]. Original data: Г. А. Меновщиков: Грамматиκа языка азиатских эскимосов. Часть первая. Академия Наук СССР. Москва-Ленинград, 1962</ref><ref name=ssipr>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsu.ru/ip/eskimos.php#3|title=Поддержка прав коренных народов Cибири - Spiritual culture subsection of the Eskimos page in the Support for Siberian Indigenous Peoples Rights|work=nsu.ru|language=ru|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830162420/http://www.nsu.ru/ip/eskimos.php#3|archive-date=August 30, 2007}}</ref><ref name=submit>{{cite web |last=Vajda |first=Edward J |title=Siberian Yupik (Eskimo) |work=East Asian Studies |url=http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ea210/aleut.htm |access-date=August 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028052901/http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ea210/aleut.htm |archive-date=October 28, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Orcas are believed to assist their hunters in driving walrus.<ref name=radio>{{cite serial |credits=Ковалева, Ирина & Богословская, Людмила |script-title=ru:Животные и отражение их прихода к человеку в самых разных текстах |network=Эхо Москвы |station=Арсенал |airdate=December 3, 2002 |url=http://echo.msk.ru/programs/beseda/20523/ |language=ru |access-date=April 29, 2008 |archive-date=May 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505005651/http://echo.msk.ru/programs/beseda/20523/ |url-status=live }} A radio interview with Russian scientists about man and animal, examples taken especially from Asian Eskimos</ref> Reverence is expressed in several forms: the boat represents the animal, and a wooden carving hung from the hunter's belt.<ref name=ssipr/> Small [[sacrifice]]s such as tobacco or meat are strewn into the sea for them.<ref name=radio/><ref name=submit/>

The [[Ainu people]] of [[Hokkaido]], the [[Kuril Islands]], and southern [[Sakhalin]] often referred to orcas in their folklore and myth as ''[[Repun Kamuy]]'' (God of Sea/Offshore) to bring fortunes (whales) to the coasts, and there had been traditional funerals for stranded or deceased orcas akin to funerals for other animals such as [[brown bear]]s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Miyanaga |first=T. |year=2014 |script-title=ja:（北海道）「シャチ送り」の遺構か 礼文島の遺跡で出土 |newspaper=[[Asahi Shimbun]] |language=ja}}</ref>

===Attacks by wild orcas on humans and animals===
{{Further information|Orca attack}}
[[File:Whale of Greifswald from rear.JPG|right|thumb|Male orca depicted in St Mary's in [[Greifswald]], Germany, 1545<ref name="Greifswald church"/>|alt=Killer whale silhouette, with two projections above shown above the blowhole.]]
In [[Western culture]]s, orcas were historically feared as dangerous, savage predators.{{sfn|Obee|Ellis|1992|pp=Chapter 1}} The first written description of an orca was given by [[Pliny the Elder]] ''circa'' AD 70, who wrote, "Orcas (the appearance of which no image can express, other than an enormous mass of savage flesh with teeth) are the enemy of [other kinds of whale]... they charge and pierce them like warships ramming." (see citation in section [[#Naming|"Naming"]], above).<ref name=pliny1>[[Pliny the Elder|Gaius Plinius Secundus]]. [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Pliny_the_Elder/9*.html#v ''Historia Naturalis'' 9.5.12] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915041547/http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Pliny_the_Elder/9%2A.html#v |date=September 15, 2020 }} (Latin), in Bill Thayer's ''[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/home.html LacusCurtius: Into the Roman World] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120524002003/http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/home.html |date=May 24, 2012 }}''. (See also an [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book=9:chapter=5 English translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604093248/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book=9:chapter=5 |date=June 4, 2011 }} by [[John Bostock (physician)|John Bostock]] and [[Henry Thomas Riley]], 1855.) Retrieved February 19, 2010.</ref>

Of the very few confirmed attacks on humans by wild orcas, none have been fatal.<ref name="3_News_71245">{{cite news |url=http://www.3news.co.nz/Orca-shares-the-waves-with-local-surfer/tabid/423/articleID/71245/Default.aspx |title=Orca shares the waves with local surfer |date=September 12, 2008 |work=[[3 News]] |access-date=October 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724192551/http://www.3news.co.nz/Orca-shares-the-waves-with-local-surfer/tabid/423/articleID/71245/Default.aspx |archive-date=July 24, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In one instance, orcas tried to tip ice floes on which a dog team and [[Herbert Ponting|photographer]] of the [[Terra Nova Expedition]] were standing.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cherry-Garrard|first=Apsley|title=The Worst Journey in the World: Antarctic 1910–1913|publisher=Globe Pequot|year=2004|page=92|isbn=978-1-59228-212-8}}</ref> The sled dogs' barking is speculated to have sounded enough like seal calls to trigger the orca's hunting curiosity. In the 1970s, a surfer in California was bitten, but the Orca then retreated,<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--not stated--> |date=1972-07-11 |title=Whale Takes Bite From Surfer's Leg |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-kretschmer/141435593/ |work=Los Angeles Times |agency=UPI |location=MONTEREY |access-date=2024-03-23 |archive-date=February 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218211855/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-kretschmer/141435593/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 2005, a boy in Alaska who was splashing in a region frequented by harbour seals was bumped by an orca that apparently misidentified him as prey.<ref name=ketchikan>{{cite news |agency=The [[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/boy-survives-bump-from-killer-whale |title=Boy survives bump from killer whale |newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]] |date=August 18, 2005 |access-date=January 3, 2010 |archive-date=April 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402062946/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002444869_webwhale18.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Orca attacks on sailboats and small vessels ===
{{main|Iberian orca attacks}}
Beginning around 2020, one or more pods of orcas began to attack sailing vessels off the southern tip of Europe, and a few were sunk. At least 15 interactions between orcas and boats off the Iberian coast were reported in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-23 |title=Scientists are puzzled by Orcas sinking boats in a string of abnormal attacks |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/orcas-sank-three-boats-coast-portugal-dont-call-killer-just-yet-rcna85678 |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704125250/https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/orcas-sank-three-boats-coast-portugal-dont-call-killer-just-yet-rcna85678 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the Atlantic Orca Working Group (GTOA) as many as 500 vessels have been damaged between 2020 and 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-29 |title=Gladis the killer whale and her gang of orcas out for revenge |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/gladis-whale-orca-boat-attacks-gibraltar-b2347572.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=June 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620095318/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/gladis-whale-orca-boat-attacks-gibraltar-b2347572.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In one video, an orca can be seen biting on one of the two rudders ripped from a catamaran near [[Gibraltar]]. The captain of the vessel reported this was the second attack on a vessel under his command and the orcas focused on the rudders. "Looks like they knew exactly what they are doing. They didn't touch anything else."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dewan |first=Pandora |date=2023-06-09 |title=Orcas filmed destroying ship's rudder in shocking clip: "Surrounded" |url=https://www.newsweek.com/orcas-filmed-destroying-ship-rudder-shocking-clip-surrounded-1805644 |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Newsweek |language=en |archive-date=July 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705133639/https://www.newsweek.com/orcas-filmed-destroying-ship-rudder-shocking-clip-surrounded-1805644 |url-status=live }}</ref> After an orca repeatedly rammed a vessel off the coast of Norway in 2023, there is a concern the behavior is spreading to other areas.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hoare |first1=Philip |last2=Hoekendijk |first2=Jeroen |date=2023-06-21 |title=Orca rams into yacht off Shetland in first such incident in northern waters |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/21/orca-rams-yacht-off-shetland-first-such-incident-northern-waters |access-date=2023-07-04 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> This has led to recommendations that sailors now carry bags of sand.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-19 |title=Sprinkling sand 'deters orcas' according to Cruising Association |url=https://www.pbo.co.uk/news/orca-sand-deterrence-77513 |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=Practical Boat Owner |language=en-US |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704125251/https://www.pbo.co.uk/news/orca-sand-deterrence-77513 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dropping sand into the water near the rudder is thought to confuse the sonar signal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crisp |first=James |date=2023-05-27 |title=Sailors have a new way to stop killer whale attacks |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/05/27/orcas-killer-whales-attacking-boats-strait-gibraltar-sand/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |issn=0307-1235 |archive-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230704125250/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/05/27/orcas-killer-whales-attacking-boats-strait-gibraltar-sand/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Experts were divided as to whether the behavior was some sort of revenge or protection response to a previous traumatic incident, or playful or frustrated attempts to get a boat's propeller to emit a stream of high-speed water.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/06/13/1181693759/orcas-killer-whales-boat-attacks |title=Orcas sank a yacht off Spain — the latest in a slew of such 'attacks' in recent years |date=May 15, 2024 |author=Scott Neuman |website=[[NPR]] |access-date=May 16, 2024 |archive-date=July 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708083723/https://www.npr.org/2023/06/13/1181693759/orcas-killer-whales-boat-attacks |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Attacks on humans by captive orcas===

Unlike wild orcas, captive orcas have made nearly two dozen [[Killer whale attacks on humans|attacks on humans]] since the 1970s, some of which have been fatal.<ref name=abc2006>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2690153 |title=ABC News: Killer Whale Attacks SeaWorld Trainer |publisher=ABC News |date=November 30, 2006 |access-date=January 3, 2010 |archive-date=February 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228172014/http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2690153 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>"[http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/02/24/killer.whale.trainer.death/index.html SeaWorld trainer killed by killer whale]" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403195245/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/02/24/killer.whale.trainer.death/index.html |date=April 3, 2010}}, CNN, February 25, 2010, Retrieved September 9, 2010</ref>

===Human attacks on orcas===
Competition with fishermen also led to orcas being regarded as pests. In the waters of the [[Pacific Northwest]] and [[Iceland]], the shooting of orcas was accepted and even encouraged by governments.{{sfn|Obee|Ellis|1992|pp=Chapter 1}} As an indication of the intensity of shooting that occurred until fairly recently, about 25% of the orcas captured in [[Puget Sound]] for aquariums through 1970 bore bullet scars.{{sfn|NMFS|2005|p=41}} The U.S. Navy claimed to have deliberately killed hundreds of orcas in Icelandic waters in 1956 with machine guns, rockets, and [[depth charge]]s.<ref>Killer Whales Destroyed: VP-7 Accomplishes Special Task, ''Naval Aviation News'', December 1956, p. 19. Reproduced at [http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/KillerWhale/deathkw.html Longevity and Causes of Death] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619230958/http://seaworld.org/infobooks/KillerWhale/deathkw.html |date=June 19, 2010 }}, SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMALS. Retrieved January 11, 2010</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Naval War Declared Against Killer Whales|journal=The Science News-Letter|volume=69|issue=24|page=374|year=1956|jstor=3936619 |doi=10.2307/3936617}}</ref>

===Modern Western attitudes===
{{See also|Orcas in popular culture}}
[[File:Woman swims with killer whales in the wild.webm|thumb|[[Ingrid Visser (researcher)|Ingrid Visser]]'s research team filming orcas in New Zealand]]

Western attitudes towards orcas have changed dramatically in recent decades. In the mid-1960s and early 1970s, orcas came to much greater public and scientific awareness, starting with the live-capture and display of an orca known as [[Moby Doll]], a [[southern resident orca]] harpooned off [[Saturna Island]] in 1964.{{sfn|Obee|Ellis|1992|pp=Chapter 1}} He was the first ever orca to be studied at close quarters alive, not postmortem. [[Moby Doll's impact in scientific research]] at the time, including the first scientific studies of an orca's sound production, led to two articles about him in the journal ''Zoologica''.<ref name=Schevill&Watkins>{{cite journal |last1=Schevill |first1=William |last2=Watkins |first2=William |title=Sound Structure and Directionality in ''Orcinus'' (killer whale) |journal=Zoologica |date=Summer 1966 |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=71–76 |publisher=[[New York Zoological Society]]}}</ref><ref name=Newman&McGeer>{{cite journal |last1=Newman |first1=Murray |last2=McGeer |first2=Patrick |title=The Capture and Care of a Killer Whale, ''Orcinus orca'', in British Columbia |journal=Zoologica |date=Summer 1966 |volume=51 |issue=2 |pages=59–70 |publisher=[[New York Zoological Society]]}}</ref> So little was known at the time, it was nearly two months before the whale's keepers discovered what food (fish) it was willing to eat. To the surprise of those who saw him, Moby Doll was a docile, non-aggressive whale who made no attempts to attack humans.{{sfn|Francis|Hewlett|2007|pp=58–59}}

[[File:A73 whale transport.jpg|thumb|right|upright|In 2002, the orphan [[Springer (orca)|Springer]] was successfully returned to her family.|alt=Killer whale wrapped in white cloth on a boat, surrounded by four people. A board braces its dorsal fin.]]
Between 1964 and 1976, 50 orcas from the Pacific Northwest were captured for display in [[Aquarium|aquaria]], and public interest in the animals grew. In the 1970s, research pioneered by [[Michael Bigg]] led to the discovery of the species' complex social structure, its use of vocal communication, and its extraordinarily stable mother–offspring bonds. Through [[Wildlife photo-identification|photo-identification]] techniques, individuals were named and tracked over decades.{{sfn|Baird|2002|pp=73–80}}

Bigg's techniques also revealed the Pacific Northwest population was in the low hundreds rather than the thousands that had been previously assumed.{{sfn|Obee|Ellis|1992|pp=Chapter 1}} The southern resident community alone had lost 48 of its members to captivity; by 1976, only 80 remained.{{sfn|Heimlich|Boran|2001|p=11}} In the Pacific Northwest, the species that had unthinkingly been targeted became a cultural icon within a few decades.<ref name=Lyke/>

The public's growing appreciation also led to growing opposition to whale–keeping in aquarium. Only one whale has been taken in North American waters since 1976. In recent years, the extent of the public's interest in orcas has manifested itself in several high-profile efforts surrounding individuals. Following the success of the 1993 film ''[[Free Willy]]'', the movie's captive star [[Keiko (whale)|Keiko]] was returned to the coast of his native [[Iceland]] in 2002. The director of the International Marine Mammal Project for the [[Earth Island Institute]], David Phillips, led the efforts to return Keiko to the Iceland waters.<ref name = Wood>{{cite news|last=Wood|first=Daniel|title=Death of Sea World trainer: Do 'killer whales' belong in theme parks?|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0224/Death-of-Sea-World-trainer-Do-killer-whales-belong-in-theme-parks|access-date=March 19, 2012|newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor|date=February 24, 2010|archive-date=May 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513095029/http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0224/Death-of-Sea-World-trainer-Do-killer-whales-belong-in-theme-parks|url-status=live}}</ref> Keiko however did not adapt to the harsh climate of the [[Arctic Ocean]], and died a year into his release after contracting [[Pneumonia (non-human)|pneumonia]], at the age of 27.<ref>[https://apnews.com/f4012a2567261d6a6e661c1c636c128b Movie-Star Whale Keiko Dies of Pneumonia.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607115808/https://apnews.com/f4012a2567261d6a6e661c1c636c128b |date=June 7, 2020 }} Associated Press. Published December 13, 2003. Retrieved June 7, 2020.</ref> In 2002, the orphan [[Springer (orca)|Springer]] was discovered in [[Puget Sound]], Washington. She became the first whale to be successfully reintegrated into a wild pod after human intervention, crystallizing decades of research into the vocal behaviour and social structure of the region's orcas.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{Cite news|title=Orphaned orca's reunion with family celebrated|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/orphaned-orca-s-reunion-with-family-celebrated-1.634335|date=July 13, 2007|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=November 6, 2007|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106234637/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/orphaned-orca-s-reunion-with-family-celebrated-1.634335|url-status=live}}</ref> The saving of Springer raised hopes that another young orca named [[Luna (killer whale)|Luna]], which had become separated from his pod, could be returned to it. However, his case was marked by controversy about whether and how to intervene, and in 2006, Luna was killed by a boat propeller.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Robert |last=McClure |title=Luna the orca killed by tugboat |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Luna-the-orca-killed-by-tugboat-1198168.php |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |publisher=Hearst Corporation |location=Seattle, Washington |date=March 11, 2006 |access-date=April 8, 2009 |archive-date=August 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811030505/http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Luna-the-orca-killed-by-tugboat-1198168.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Whaling===
{{Main|Whaling}}
[[File:Killer Whale (Old Tom) and whalers.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.2|The orca named [[Old Tom (orca)|Old Tom]] swims alongside a [[whaleboat]], flanking a whale calf. The boat is being towed by a harpooned whale (not visible here), near Eden, Australia.|alt=A killer whale swims alongside a whaling boat, with a smaller whale in between. Two men are standing, the harpooner in the bow and a steersman on the aft rudder, while four oarsmen are seated.]]

The earliest known records of commercial hunting of orcas date to the 18th century in Japan. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the global [[whaling]] industry caught immense numbers of [[Baleen whale|baleen]] and sperm whales, but largely ignored orcas because of their limited amounts of [[Whale oil|recoverable oil]], their smaller populations, and the difficulty of taking them.{{sfn|NMFS|2005|p=39}} Once the stocks of larger species were depleted, orcas were targeted by commercial whalers in the mid-20th century. Between 1954 and 1997, Japan took 1,178 orcas (although the [[Ministry of the Environment (Japan)|Ministry of the Environment]] claims that there had been domestic catches of about 1,600 whales between late 1940s to 1960s<ref>{{cite journal|year=1998|title=海域自然環境保全基礎調査 - 海棲動物調査報告書, (2)- 19. シャチ ''Orcinus orca'' (Linnaeus,1758)マイルカ科|url=http://www.biodic.go.jp/reports2/5th/kaisei_h10/5_kaisei_h10.pdf|page=54|journal=自然環境保全基礎調査|access-date=January 14, 2015|archive-date=July 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717041428/http://www.biodic.go.jp/reports2/5th/kaisei_h10/5_kaisei_h10.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>) and Norway took 987.{{sfn|Obee|Ellis|1992|p=34}} Extensive hunting of orcas, including an [[Antarctic]] catch of 916 in 1979–80 alone, prompted the [[International Whaling Commission]] to recommend a ban on commercial hunting of the species pending further research.{{sfn|Obee|Ellis|1992|p=34}} Today, no country carries out a substantial hunt, although [[Indonesia]] and [[Greenland]] permit small subsistence hunts (see [[Aboriginal whaling]]). Other than commercial hunts, orcas were hunted along Japanese coasts out of public concern for potential conflicts with fisheries. Such cases include a semi-resident male-female pair in [[Akashi Strait]] and [[Harimanada]] being killed in the [[Seto Inland Sea]] in 1957,<ref name=OSAKACEA>{{cite web|publisher=Osaka College of Eco & Animals|year=2011|script-title=ja:シャチ騒動|url=http://cblog-eco.oca.ac.jp/blog/2011/10/post-aa1b.html|access-date=December 24, 2014|language=ja|archive-date=December 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224113540/http://cblog-eco.oca.ac.jp/blog/2011/10/post-aa1b.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Whale Laboratory of [[Shimonoseki]]|year=2014|title=Stranding Base (1901–2012) for Hyogo Prefecture|url=http://whalelab.org/HyogoPRF.htm|access-date=December 24, 2014|archive-date=December 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224112918/http://whalelab.org/HyogoPRF.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> the killing of five whales from a pod of 11 members that swam into [[Tokyo Bay]] in 1970,<ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Whale Laboratory of [[Shimonoseki]]|year=2014|title=Stranding Date Base (1901-2012) for Chiba Prefecture|url=http://whalelab.org/ChibaPRF.htm|access-date=January 9, 2015|archive-date=January 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109080045/http://whalelab.org/ChibaPRF.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and a catch record in southern Taiwan in the 1990s.<ref name=SmallCetaceansChina>{{cite journal|author=Kaiya|first1= Z.|last2=Leatherwood|first2= S.|last3=Jefferson |first3=A. T.|title=Records of Small Cetaceans in Chinese Waters: A Review|journal=Asian Marine Biology|volume=12|year=1995|pages=119–139|url=https://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Publications/Zhouetal95(26).pdf|access-date=December 24, 2014|archive-date=July 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717073608/https://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Publications/Zhouetal95(26).pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Kaiya|first1= Z.|last2=Leatherwood |first2=S.|last3=Jefferson|first3= A. T. |year=2002 |title=Report of the Second Workshop on The Biology and Conservation of Small Cetaceans and Dugongs of South-East Asia |journal=CMS Technical Series Publication Nº 9 at Convention on Migratory Species |url=http://www.iucn-csg.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Perrinetal.0589.pdf |editor=Perrin F. W. |editor2=Reeves R. R. |editor3=Dolar L. L. M. |editor4=Jefferson A. T. |editor5=Marsh H. |editor6=Wang Y. J. |editor7=Estacion J. |access-date=December 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045901/http://www.iucn-csg.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Perrinetal.0589.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref>

====Cooperation with humans====
Orcas have helped humans hunting other whales.<ref name="scavenging">{{cite journal|last1=Reeves|first1=Randall|last2=Whitehead|first2=Hal|title=Killer whales and whaling: the scavenging hypothesis|journal=Biology Letters|volume=1|issue=4|pages=415–418|year=2005|pmid=17148221|pmc=1626385|doi=10.1098/rsbl.2005.0348}}</ref> One well-known example was the [[Killer whales of Eden, New South Wales|orcas of Eden, Australia]], including the male known as [[Old Tom (orca)|Old Tom]]. Whalers more often considered them a nuisance, however, as orcas would gather to scavenge meat from the whalers' catch.<ref name="scavenging"/> Some populations, such as in Alaska's [[Prince William Sound]], may have been reduced significantly by whalers shooting them in retaliation.<ref name=baird/>

===Whale watching===
[[Whale watching]] continues to increase in popularity, but may have some problematic impacts on orcas. Exposure to exhaust gases from large amounts of vessel traffic is causing concern for the overall health of the 75 remaining southern resident orcas (SRKWs) left as of early 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bewhalewise.org/|title=Home|website=Be Whale Wise|access-date=October 31, 2019|archive-date=October 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031050019/https://www.bewhalewise.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> This population is followed by approximately 20 vessels for 12 hours a day during the months May–September.<ref name="Lachmuth et al. 2011">{{cite journal |last1=Lachmuth |first1=Cara L. |last2=Barrett-Lennard |first2=Lance G. |last3=Steyn |first3=D. Q. |last4=Milsom |first4=William K. |title=Estimation of southern resident killer whale exposure to exhaust emissions from whale-watching vessels and potential adverse health effects and toxicity thresholds |journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin |date=April 2011 |volume=62 |issue=4 |pages=792–805 |doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.01.002 |pmid=21276987|bibcode=2011MarPB..62..792L }}</ref> Researchers discovered that these vessels are in the line of sight for these whales for 98–99.5% of daylight hours.<ref name="Lachmuth et al. 2011"/> With so many vessels, the air quality around these whales deteriorates and impacts their health. Air pollutants that bind with exhaust fumes are responsible for the activation of the cytochrome P450 1A gene family.<ref name="Lachmuth et al. 2011"/> Researchers have successfully identified this gene in skin biopsies of live whales and also the lungs of deceased whales. A direct correlation between activation of this gene and the air pollutants can not be made because there are other known factors that will induce the same gene. Vessels can have either wet or dry exhaust systems, with wet exhaust systems leaving more pollutants in the water due to various gas solubility. A modelling study determined that the lowest-observed-adverse-effect-level (LOAEL) of exhaust pollutants was about 12% of the human dose.<ref name="Lachmuth et al. 2011"/>

As a response to this, in 2017 boats off the British Columbia coast now have a minimum approach distance of 200 metres compared to the previous 100 metres. This new rule complements Washington State's minimum approach zone of 180 metres that has been in effect since 2011. If a whale approaches a vessel it must be placed in neutral until the whale passes. The World Health Organization has set air quality standards in an effort to control the emissions produced by these vessels.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://baleinesendirect.org/en/boats-to-maintain-greater-distance-from-killer-whales/|title = Boats to Maintain Greater Distance from Killer Whales &#124; Whales online|date = November 8, 2017|access-date = March 14, 2019|archive-date = March 30, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190330230118/https://baleinesendirect.org/en/boats-to-maintain-greater-distance-from-killer-whales/|url-status = live}}</ref>

===Captivity===
{{Main|Captive orcas}}
[[File:Miami Oceanarium.jpg|thumb|[[Lolita (orca)|Lolita]], at the [[Miami Seaquarium]], was one of the oldest orcas in captivity.]]
The orca's [[Animal intelligence|intelligence]], trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size have made it a popular exhibit at aquaria and [[Marine mammal park|aquatic theme park]]s. From 1976 to 1997, 55 whales were taken from the wild in Iceland, 19 from Japan, and three from Argentina. These figures exclude animals that died during capture. Live captures fell dramatically in the 1990s, and by 1999, about 40% of the 48 animals on display in the world were captive-born.{{sfn|NMFS|2005|pp=43–44}}

Organizations such as [[World Animal Protection]] and the [[Whale and Dolphin Conservation]] campaign against the practice of keeping them in captivity. In captivity, they often develop pathologies, such as the [[dorsal fin]] collapse seen in 60–90% of captive males. Captives have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s.{{efn|Although there are examples of killer whales living longer, including several over 30 years old, and two captive orcas (Corky II and Lolita) are in their mid-40s.}} That said, a 2015 study coauthored by staff at [[SeaWorld]] and the [[Minnesota Zoo]] suggested no significant difference in survivorship between free-ranging and captive orcas.<ref name=robeck/> However, in the wild, females who survive infancy live 46 years on average, and up to 70–80 years in rare cases. Wild males who survive infancy live 31 years on average, and up to 50–60 years.<ref>{{cite web|author=Rose|first1= N. A.|year=2011|url=http://www.hsi.org/assets/pdfs/orca_white_paper.pdf|title=Killer Controversy: Why Orcas Should No Longer Be Kept in Captivity|publisher=Humane Society International and the Humane Society of the United States|access-date=December 21, 2014|archive-date=December 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230032203/http://www.hsi.org/assets/pdfs/orca_white_paper.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Captivity usually bears little resemblance to wild habitat, and captive whales' social groups are foreign to those found in the wild. Critics claim captive life is stressful due to these factors and the requirement to perform [[circus trick]]s that are not part of wild orca behaviour, see [[#Behaviour|above]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdcs.org/submissions_bin/cap-orc-glo-000016.pdf |title=Orcas in captivity |publisher=Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society |access-date=January 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706134353/http://www.wdcs.org/submissions_bin/cap-orc-glo-000016.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2010 }}</ref> Wild orcas may travel up to {{convert|160|km|mi|-1}} in a day, and critics say the animals are too big and intelligent to be suitable for captivity.<ref name=cbs2010>Associated Press. [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whale-attack-renews-captive-animal-debate/ Whale Attack Renews Captive Animal Debate]  ''CBS News'', March 1, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2010</ref> Captives occasionally act aggressively towards themselves, their tankmates, or humans, which critics say is a result of [[stress (medicine)|stress]].<ref name=abc2006 /> Between 1991 and 2010, the bull orca known as [[Tilikum (orca)|Tilikum]] was involved in the death of three people, and was featured in the critically acclaimed 2013 film [[Blackfish (film)|''Blackfish'']].<ref name="RT review 1">{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blackfish_2013|title=Blackfish|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=November 23, 2013|archive-date=November 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121215751/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blackfish_2013/|url-status=live}}</ref> Tilikum lived at SeaWorld from 1992 until his death in 2017.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=The Killer in the Pool|first=Tim|last=Zimmerman|title=The Best American Sampler 2011|page=336|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/07/us/corpse-is-found-on-whale.html|title=Corpse Is Found on Whale|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 7, 1999|access-date=September 11, 2011|archive-date=June 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613184958/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/07/us/corpse-is-found-on-whale.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2016, SeaWorld announced that they would be ending their orca breeding program and their theatrical shows.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160317-seaworld-orcas-killer-whales-captivity-breeding-shamu-tilikum/|title=SeaWorld to End Controversial Orca Shows and Breeding|date=March 17, 2016|website=National Geographic News|access-date=September 27, 2016|archive-date=April 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420052351/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160317-seaworld-orcas-killer-whales-captivity-breeding-shamu-tilikum/|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, as of 2020, theatrical shows featuring orcas are still ongoing.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stevens|first=Blair|date=2020-06-11|title=Even years after Blackfish, SeaWorld still has Orcas|url=https://8forty.ca/2020/06/10/even-years-after-blackfish-seaworld-still-has-orcas/|access-date=2020-12-23|language=en|archive-date=December 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213055553/https://8forty.ca/2020/06/10/even-years-after-blackfish-seaworld-still-has-orcas/|url-status=live}}</ref>