TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

the past they made an important contribution to the Islanders’ survival in the harsh conditions of
these isolated islands. Hundreds of dolphins and porpoises are also often killed. Today, however, the
Faroese people enjoy a standard of living at least as high as that of any other country in Scandinavia.
The consumption of pilot whales is, therefore, thought to be no longer necessary for survival, but the
hunt continues. This is despite the Faroese Health Department’s recommendations to substantially
limit consumption of pilot whale meat and blubber because of the high levels of toxins in the tissue,
which has been directly associated with developmental problems in some children on the Islands. The
advisory notice issued in 1998 warns females expecting to have children in the future not to eat pilot
whale meat at all (Anon 1998).
Until 1979, the Faroe Islanders killed about 800 pilot whales each year. In the early 1980s the
average number of whales killed increased to over 2,000 per year with 2,909 being killed in 1981
(Zoological Department, Museum of Natural History, Faroe Islands 2000). At the same time, the
Faroese economy was booming as a result of the implementation of the Faroe Island’s 200 mile
Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ), although the need for pilot whale meat and blubber is thought to
be increasingly unnecessary to the Islanders’ survival. No research was carried out into the
sustainability of this dramatic increase in hunting. As a result of international pressure and concerns
about high levels of pollutants found in the meat and blubber, the numbers killed each year dropped
in the 1990s to below 1,000 whales.
Killing methods
The pilot whale hunt is governed by the Faroese Pilot Whaling Regulations, dating back to 1832 and
which has been periodically updated (Gibson-Lonsdale 1990). The regulations were not developed to
address the welfare aspects of the hunt, but to bring about reorganisation so that this resource could
be more fully utilised. As a result of international pressure, some changes to the regulations were
introduced in the mid-1980’s in an attempt to make the hunt less cruel, including the banning of the
use of the spear (Olsen 1999).
When a herd of pilot whales is sighted offshore, permission is sought from the local sheriff to bring
the whales into one of the 23 authorised whaling bays. A group of boats gathers in a semi-circle
behind the whales and drives them towards the shore. The drive quickens as the whales approach the
shore, in an effort to beach as many as possible. Those whales that are not beached will either
flounder in the shallows or swim in the deeper water, prevented from escaping by the boats in the
bay, and perhaps also by the bond that they have with the rest of their school. The aim is to kill the
entire herd, although sometimes a few individuals will not be killed.
The whales are struck with a sharp-ended steel traditional whaling hook weighing around 2kg. The
hook is driven into the whales flesh in order to secure them. The whales in the shallows, or in deeper
water are hauled several metres onto the shore by ropes attached to the hooks. Some whales are
hauled by a recently developed round-ended hook which is inserted into the blowhole (Olsen 1999).
A sharp knife with a blade 16-19cm long is used to cut through the skin, blubber and flesh to sever
the spinal column and the blood supply to the brain in order induce loss of sensibility, and to bring
about death as a result of blood loss (Olsen 1999). A new knife is also being tested, which has a long
slim blade designed to sever the blood supply to the brain and the spinal cord with one incision.
(Foreign Department, Faroe Islands 2003). However, the new knife requires greater precision to be
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