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FAROE ISLANDS

Faroe Islands begins review of controversial dolphin hunt

The Faroe Islands, a Danish autonomous territory, says it has begun discussions about the future of its controversial dolphin hunt, with a decision expected in the coming weeks.

A pilot whale hunt in Torshavn, Faroe Islands
A pilot whale hunt in Torshavn, Faroe Islands, in 2019. The Faroe Islands, a Danish autonomous territory, said on February 15th, 2022 it had begun discussions about the future of its controversial dolphin hunt. File photo: Andrija Ilic/AFP/Ritzau Scanpix

A petition with almost 1.3 million signatures calling for a ban on the traditional hunt was submitted to the Faroese government on Monday, the prime minister’s office and whale conservation groups told AFP.

At a meeting on Tuesday in Torshavn, the government discussed the conclusions of a re-evaluation that Prime Minister Bardur a Steig Nielsen had ordered in September, after the unusually large slaughter of more than 1,400 Atlantic white-sided dolphins sparked an outcry.

“It was a first meeting. No decisions were taken,” an official in the prime minister’s office told AFP.

He added that a final decision was expected “in a few weeks”, and “several options” were on the table.

In the Faroese tradition known as “grindadrap”, or “grind” for short, hunters surround dolphins or pilot whales with a wide semi-circle of fishing boats and drive them into a shallow bay where they are beached.

Fishermen on shore slaughter them with knives.

Every summer, images of the bloody hunt make headlines around the world and spark outrage among animal rights defenders who consider the practice barbaric.

But the hunt still enjoys broad support in the Faroes, where supporters point out that the animals have fed the local population for centuries.

Normally, around 600 pilot whales are hunted every year in this way.

But the dolphin hunt on September 12th, 2021 in the Skala fjord was much bigger, triggering an international outcry and pushing the government to reconsider the practice.

Only the dolphin hunt is currently being reviewed, not the entire “grind” tradition.

In the petition, handed over by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation organisation, signatories called for the end of the “cruel” practice.

READ ALSO: Why mass dolphin slaughter could catalyse change to Faroe Islands tradition

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FAROE ISLANDS

Faroe Islands resumes controversial dolphin hunt

The Faroe Islands has killed more than 500 dolphins since its controversial hunt resumed in May, local authorities in Denmark's autonomous territory in the north Atlantic said on Thursday.

Faroe Islands resumes controversial dolphin hunt

In the Faroese tradition known as “grindadrap“, or “grind” for short, hunters surround pilot whales and dolphins with a wide semi-circle of fishing
boats and drive them into a shallow bay where they are beached.

Fishermen on shore slaughter them with knives.

Every summer, images of the bloody hunt make headlines around the world and spark outrage among animal rights defenders who consider the practice barbaric.

“Yesterday there were two grinds, one with 266 catches and the other one with 180, according to the first reports,” a Faroese government spokesman told AFP.

The two “grinds”, which involved a species of dolphin known as pilot whales, brings to five the number of “grinds” so far this season.

Environmental NGO Sea Shepherd, which managed to disrupt the 2014 hunt with its boats, criticised the fact that Danish navy vessels are authorised to intervene to block environmentalists from disrupting the hunt.

But the hunt still enjoys broad support in the Faroes, where supporters point out that the animals have fed the local population for centuries and accuse media and foreign NGOs of disrespecting local culture and traditions.

They typically kill around 800 pilot whales a year.

In 2022, the government limited the number of Atlantic white-sided dolphins that could be killed per year to 500, after an unusually large slaughter of more than 1,400 sparked an outcry, even among locals.

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