TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

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A REVIEW OF THE WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF MODERN WHALING ACTIVITIES
effective, and whalers are likely to need to be specifically trained to use this knife effectively. Once
the slaughter is complete, the whales are moved to a quay for counting, measuring, butchering and
distribution among the hunters and the local community (Gibson-Lonsdale 1990).
Evaluation of killing method
The Faroese government records the numbers of pilot whales killed and some information on the
length of drives and the total duration of kills. It does not, however, analyse each hunt, or record
times to death for each individual animal.
As a result of criticism of the cruelty of the hunt and in particular the use of the traditional steel
hook, the Faroese government appears to have recognised that the hook must be phased out
(Department of Fisheries, Faroe Islands 1991). A new blunt-ended hook was developed which is
placed in the air sac in the whale’s blowhole to secure and haul it (Olsen 1999). Although the new
hook produces no visible bleeding, there has been no published post mortem research on the effects
of the hook in the blowhole, but it is likely that there is tissue tearing and the possibility of bleeding
into the lungs resulting from the hauling by the hook. This hook may also hinder breathing, causing
an obstruction to the airway and forcing the blowhole to stay open. By extrapolating human
experience and findings for airway obstruction in other mammals, it seems probable that the hook
would produce a ‘gagging’ response, and may induce a ‘panic’ response. Meanwhile, the traditional
whaling hook has not been phased out (Olsen 1999).
Several other factors contribute to the potential for cruelty of the Faroese pilot whale hunt.
1. Pilot whales may be driven several miles to the nominated bay. There has been no assessment of
stress myopathy or any other impact of the drive on the whales. The distance and duration of the
drive combined with the noise of the boats and drivers may cause confusion and stress to the
members of the herd and may have long-term implications for any survivors.
2. Pilot whales live in close communities with strong bonds between the individual members of the
herd, most of whom are blood relatives (Amos 1993). It can take tens of minutes or even hours to
complete the slaughter of the herd. During this time individuals are swimming in seawater filled
with the blood of their relatives or closely bonded companions. They are also subjected to the
chaos of the killing and almost certainly to the distressed communications from their family
members and companions.
3. Several factors may result in repeated strikes and wounding before the steel hook is secured in the
body of the whale:
• The striker may be standing on the shore, on rocks, in the shallows or wading in waist deep
water.
• The whale may be struggling on the shore, floundering in the shallows or swimming in the
deeper water increasing the difficulty of making a successful strike.
• The boats and whales may cause turbulence, destabilising the striker.
• The skin of the whale is very smooth and wet and may cause the hook to slip.
• During the hauling, the hook may loose purchase and be struck into the body again.
4. The hauling of the whales by the hook attached to the rope is likely to cause pronounced trauma
to the tissues of the blowhole, contributing to the suffering of the animals. No evaluation,