Energy & Climate
Mining in the Arctic
Greenpeace survey in Arctic deep sea mining area finds deep-diving whales and dolphins.
13 August 2024
Campaigners have welcomed the first-ever animal abuse charges brought against dolphin hunters on the Faroe Islands, which lies just 200 miles north of Scotland.
Faroese police brought charges against a former district sheriff and other authority figures following police reports of a dolphin hunt taking place in the Faroese village of Hvannasund in June 2024.
The animal abuse charges relate to a breaking of the Grind Law, which left 90 pilot whales in shallow waters for 27 hours, where they were in danger of drowning and beaching. This was after more than a 100 of their pod members had already been killed.
In addition, the charges include details of injuries from boat propellers to many of the pilot whales killed in the hunt.
Dolphins are migratory, meaning that marine mammals in Faroese waters could have been present in UK waters just weeks prior.
The hunts are known as the Grindadráp – or Grind – and take place in 23 designated killing bays across the island nation.
The cruel practice sees pods of dolphins driven to the shoreline by motorboats, before being killed using hooks and long knives on the shoreline.
So far this year, more than 1,000 dolphins have been killed in 10 different hunts across the Faroese Islands. This figure does not include all foetuses, calves or juveniles.
While the hunts are legal under Faroese rules, Grind Law imposes some regulations on them. However, campaigners say all aspects of the hunt involve unnecessary cruelty and impacts the pilot whale population around the Faroe Islands.
In an unprecedented move, the charges have led the Faroese Whalers’ Association to suspend further hunts in the north-east of the island until the legal case is resolved.
Environmental campaigners from Sea Shepherd and Stop The Grind welcomed the charges, citing their long-standing monitoring of the hunts and documentation of whaling activity.
‘The presence of our dedicated volunteers, who document scenes of unimaginable animal cruelty, have made these charges possible.
‘Growing numbers of people across the Faroe Islands community are appalled by these hunts and these new police charges show that those taking part in dolphin hunts and having no regard for the impact on marine mammals and the wider health of our oceans cannot continue.
‘However, we should not have to wait for the authorities to act. These hunts are senseless and cause untold suffering for animals. The Grind must end.’
VALENTINA CRAST
Campaign director for the Faroe Islands at Sea Shepherd
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