The killing of 1,428 white-faced dolphins as part of a traditional four-year drive by marine mammals into shallow water in the Faroe Islands where they are killed is a new debate in the small islands of the North Atlantic
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – The killing of 1,428 white-faced dolphins over the weekend, which was part of a traditional move of four-year-old marine mammals to shallow water where they are killed for their meat and fat, has reincarnated a debate about the small Faroe Islands.
Hunting in the North Atlantic islands is not commercial and is allowed, but environmental activists say it is cruel. Even people in the Faroe Islands who advocate traditional practice worry that this year’s hunting will attract unwanted attention because it was much larger than the previous ones and apparently was done without the usual organization.
Heri Petersen, the foreman of a group driving pilot whales to shore on the central island of the Faroe Island of Eysturoy, where the killings took place on Sunday, said he was not informed of the union of dolphins and was “strongly detached” from it.
He said this in the news section in.fo. that there were too many dolphins and too few people on the beach to kill them.
The islanders typically kill up to 1,000 marine mammals annually, according to data from the Faroe Islands. Last year it only included 35 white-faced dolphins.
Olavur Sjurdarberg, president of the Faroese Whaling Association, feared that Sunday’s massacre would revive discussion about the impulses of marine mammals and negatively affect the ancient tradition of the 18 rocky islands halfway between Scotland and Iceland. . They are semi-independent and part of the Danish kingdom.
“We have to keep in mind that we are not alone on earth. By contrast, the world has become much smaller today, as everyone walks with a camera in their pocket, ”Sjurdarberg told local station KVF. “This is a fabulous pleasure for those who want us to look bad when it comes to catching pilot whales.”
Faroese Fisheries Minister Jacob Vestergaard told local radio station Kringvarp Foeroya that the book did it all in dolphin hunting.
For years, the Seattle-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been opposed to marine mammal units dating back to the late 16th century. On Facebook, the organization described the events of the weekend as “an illegal hunt.”
White dolphins and pilot whales are not endangered species.
Every year, the islanders lead herds of mammals (mainly pilot whales) to shallow waters, where they are stabbed to death. A blowing hook is used to secure stranded whales and their spine and main artery leading to the brain are cut with knives. Actions are regulated by law and meat and fat are shared communally.