More Pilot Whales Killed on the Faroe Islands

Yesterday, a pod of 11 pilot whales was slaughtered at the killing beach of Fuglafirði in the Faroe Islands. It is the sixth grindadráp in the archipelago this year, and brings the total amount of pilot whales slaughtered in the 2015 drive hunts to 501.

Sea Shepherd strongly disputes claims made in local media that the slaughter was quick.

“For an hour and a half these pilot whales were harassed by small boats, driven into the killing beach, hooked by their blowholes, dragged onto the rocks and sand and then slaughtered in the presence of their family members,” said Rosie Kunneke, Sea Shepherd Land Team Leader during the organization’s most recent pilot whale defense campaign. “Video and photographs captured by Sea Shepherd earlier this year clearly show the truth of the grindadráp. It is a slow and torturous death. To claim otherwise is a totally outrageous sham.”

Though most of the killings happen throughout the summer months, a grindadráp can be called at any time of year.

CEO of Sea Shepherd Global, Captain Alex Cornelissen, stated, “The pilot whale killers are opportunistic hunters and will kill when the chance arises. The only way to ensure that these animals are completely protected is for the grindadráp to be outlawed for good.”

While Sea Shepherd crews have departed the archipelago for this year, the organization has vowed to continue pressure against the grindadráp.

Last month, Sea Shepherd was invited by Denmark’s Faroe Islands Committee to present the organization’s position on the slaughter of pilot whales to members of the Danish parliament. 

In the presentation, Sea Shepherd underlined Denmark’s international legal responsibilities to protect pilot whales, to prohibit their intentional killing, and to enforce such legislation nationally, reiterating that Denmark’s support of the grindadráp is in breach of these legal obligations.

“We will ensure that the world cannot ignore the horrors that continue to occur in the Faroe Islands, and that Denmark is held to account for its criminal collusion in these bloody massacres,” Cornelissen concluded.

Food Culture

Whaling has been practiced in the Faroe Islands since about the time of the first Norse settlements on the islands in around the 10th century. It is regulated by the Faroese authorities. Around 800 long-finned pilot whales and some Atlantic white-sided dolphins are killed annually. 

The hunts are non-commercial and are organized on a community level. Anyone can participate, but special training is necessary to kill the whale with the spinal lance. 

The hunters first surround the pilot whales with a wide semicircle of boats. The boats then drive the pilot whales into a bay or to the bottom of a fjord. Not all bays are certified, and the slaughter will only take place on a certified beach.

Many Faroese consider the hunt an important part of their food culture and history.