Faroe Islands Whale Massacre Caught On Camera - Over 250 Whales Killed In The Name Of An Archaic Tradition

Posted on 28 July 2015 at 14:30

The Faroese people have been whaling for hundreds of years, but as another year brings another massive hunt, some people are questioning whether the killing is even necessary anymore.

The Faroe Islands lie halfway between Iceland and Norway, some 320 kilometers north-northwest of Britain, and are inhabitated by about 50 thousand people. The Faroese have a long history with the sea, and that history includes a hunt known as the 'grindadráp', or 'grind'. The grind is a massive whaling hunt that dates back to 1584, when survival required large amounts of meat to be fished and stored ashore. The weather on the islands can be brutal, but technology has not passed over the small oceanic community.

The Faroe Islands are now a key player in the fishery industry, with 95% of their total exports being fish. The thriving fishing industry has given the Faroese an entirely liveable world, but still the grind continues. Defenders of the hunt say that without it, more food would be needed on the islands. That could mean more environmental damage thanks to increased shipping imports, but when your nation is the king of farmed fish, you have to question whether that's really a solid defense.

Throughout the year, if a pod of pilot whales or a fellow cetecean group is spotted, the grind is on. Boats trap the mammals in a bay and force them to shore, where hooks are pushed into their blowholes in order to catpure them. New regulations have been put in place to make the hunt more humane, butsome have said the bad has only been replaced with a different kind of bad.

The law is on the Faroese side as well, at least for now. The Danish navy was reported as protecting the flotilla of grind hunters, which contradicts Denmark's stance as an anti-whaling nation. With the flotilla protected and protesters from the Sea Shepard advocacy group arrested for simply protesting, the hunters were free to bring the whales ashore, alive, and use a 'spinal lance'. The lance is meant to sever the spinal cord of the whale, but a lack of respect for the animals seems prominent as locals joke and laugh as they slaughter the still breathing whales.

Horrific to say the least, what's even more distressing is the fact that the whale meat is highly toxic.Experts have said to restrict the Faroese diet from whale meat, citing the high levels of mercury and heavy metals within the tissue. What's more, if the hunters are unable to process all the kills by sundown, the carcasses are pushed back into the bay. The video and pictures below can show the absolute devastation this old tradition causes, and it's sad to say, but the end is nowhere in sight.