Recent reports of deadly whale attacks on the Strait of Gibraltar have increased. Scientists do not yet know the cause of this aggressive behavior, but they suspect it was stimulated after one female was traumatized after handling a boat.
There's still a lot we don't know about why orcas attack boats, and suggests that it may be related to the fact that some whale populations struggle to find enough food. This may cause them to become more aggressive, leading them to attack boats as a way to assert their dominance.