Pilot Whales Slaughtered in Faroe Islands

According to reports from Sea Shepherd and other global media, Faroe Islanders have slaughtered 250 pilot whales in the last 24 hours while engaging in a grindadráp, a traditional hunt involving the migrating cetaceans.

Since 1584, the Faroese have hunted these whales by forcing them onto beaches where they are killed by hand. Historically these hunts provided meat and blubber for entire villages, which is freely collected after local officials calculate the catch.

Though most environmentalists criticize the grindadráp, pilot whales are not an endangered species, and the hunts have not been shown to have a detrimental effect on the whale population as a whole. Pilot whales are, however, protected under Appendix II of the Berne Convention, which prohibits whaling in the European Union. Although the Faroe Islands isn’t part of the EU, it is a protectorate of Denmark, which has led many to question why the Danish Navy, representing a country bound by the anti-whaling regulation, is present to guard the slaughter.

Other arguments against the hunt cite the negative health effects of consuming whale meat. The island’s chief medical officers declared in 2008 that pilot whale has too much mercury, among other pollutants, to be suitable for human consumption. The Faroese have considered these risks; pregnant women now abstain from eating whale meat and many parents avoid feeding it to their children. Today’s grindadráp seems mostly to exist for the sake of tradition.

Seven protesters have been arrested for trying to interfere in the hunt and according to Sea Shepherd releases, arrested protesters could face up to two years imprisonment if they are found guilty of violating the Faroese Pilot Whaling Act.

For more on this story, including a (graphic) video, visit Scuba Diving’s report of the recent events.