On Sunday night, September 12th, a super-pod of 1428 Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins was driven for many hours and for around 45 km by speed boats and jet-skis into the shallow water at Skálabotnur beach in the Danish Faroe Islands, where every single one of them was killed.
Images of the grind from September 12th at Skálafjörður. Scroll for more. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Sea Shepherd believes this to be the largest single hunt of dolphins or pilot whales in Faroese history (the next largest being 1200 pilot whales back in 1940), and is possibly the largest single hunt of cetaceans ever recorded worldwide.
While Sea Shepherd has been fighting to stop the ‘Grind’ since the early 1980’s, this latest dolphin massacre was so brutal and badly mishandled that it is no surprise the hunt is being criticized in the Faroese media and even by many outspoken pro-whalers and politicians in the Faroe Islands.
According to locals who shared videos and photos with Sea Shepherd, this hunt broke several Faroese laws regulating the Grind. First, the Grind foreman for the district was never informed and therefore never authorized the hunt. Instead, it was another district’s foreman who called the Grind without the proper authority.
Second, many participants of the hunt had no license, which is required in the Faroe Islands, since it involves specific training in how to quickly kill the pilot whales and dolphins. However, footage shows many of the dolphins were still alive and moving even after being thrown onshore with the rest of their dead pod.
Third, photos show many of the dolphins had been run over by motorboats, essentially hacked by propellers, which would have resulted in a slow and painful death. According to locals, the hunt has been reported to the Faroese police for these violations.
Dolphin injured by boat propeller in the grind on September 12th at Skálafjörður.
Normally meat from a grindadrap is shared amongst the participants and any remainder among the locals in the district where the hunt takes place. However there is more dolphin meat from this hunt than anyone wants to take, so the dolphins are being offered to other districts in the hopes of not having to dump it.
The Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet published interviews with locals, whose full names are redacted for their families’ safety, explaining how a lot of Faroese are furious with what happened. “My guess is that most of the dolphins will be thrown in the trash or in a hole in the ground,” said one. “We should have quotas per district, and we should not kill dolphins,” said another. One local has asked Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to investigate the matter, saying “If she expresses her criticism, then it will also be easier for the locals who want this barbaric tradition stopped.” Others express worry that the international press showing the slaughtered dolphins put their exports at risk (the Faroe Islands export salmon to the UK, US, and Russia).
Even the local Faroese press, usually reluctant to publish anything against the hunt, quotes Hans Jacob Hermansen, former chairman of the Grind, saying the killing was unnecessary.
“For such a hunt to take place in 2021 in very wealthy European island community just 230 miles from the UK with no need or use for such a vast quantity of contaminated meat is outrageous” – Rob Read, COO at Sea Shepherd
To get a sense of scale; this single hunt of 1428 Atlantic White Sided Dolphins at Skálabotnur approaches the Japanese government quota for the entire 6-month dolphins killing/capture at the infamous ‘Cove’ at Taiji in Japan, and significantly exceeds the numbers actually killed in any recent years of the Taiji killing season.
This cruel and unnecessary hunt was carried out towards the end of the summer when the Faroese have already killed 615 long finned pilot whales, bringing the total number of cetaceans killed in 2021 in the Faroe Islands to a shocking 2043.
"Considering the times we are in, with a global pandemic and the world coming to a halt, it's absolutely appalling to see an attack on nature of this scale in the Faroe Islands. If we have learned anything from this pandemic is that we have to live in harmony with nature instead of wiping it out." – Captain Alex Cornelissen, Sea Shepherd Global
Each year, Sea Shepherd encounters more and more locals in the Faroe Islands who are opposed to the Grind, but who unable to speak out publicly for fear of reprisals. We will continue to support their efforts to bring an end to the ongoing slaughter of Pilot Whales and other dolphins.
Federal environmental prosecutors and Peruvian Coast Guard sailors intervene against numerous maritime violations during a successful joint operation with conservationists. All photos by Sea Shepherd.
Sea Shepherd Ocean Warrior
In October 2020, U.S.-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Sea Shepherd Legal entered into an official agreement, known as a Convenio, with FEMA - Peru’s office of Prosecutors Specialized in Environmental Matters. This partnership supports the Peruvian government’s efforts to monitor its sovereign waters by granting officials access to a civilian offshore patrol vessel that accommodates environmental prosecutors, complemented by prosecution and policy guidance provided by Sea Shepherd Legal.
Prosecutor & Coast Guard
On June 16 and 17 of this year, a small-scale Peruvian trawler, Don Santos, was observed fishing within Peru’s 5 nautical mile inshore exclusion zone off the coast of Tumbes. All unauthorized fishing is banned in this protected area. The coast guard boarded the vessel upon the request of Peruvian prosecutors, who detected the incursion by radar from the bridge of Ocean Warrior.
The trawler Don Santos
The inspection revealed that the trawler’s satellite monitoring system, a shipboard transceiver that acts as a transponder and allows for vessel movement to be monitored by law enforcement, had not been operational since 2018 and that the fishing vessel may have discarded its catch overboard prior to boarding in an attempt to destroy evidence.
The trawler Don Santos with Coast Guard
The Don Santos received fines for operating without a functioning satellite monitoring system, fishing within the inshore exclusion zone, and destroying evidence. The vessel is further prohibited from resuming fishing operations until these three fines are paid.
The mission also revealed that two additional Peruvian trawlers, Mi Pastor and Señor Cautivo, were fishing without using the satellite monitoring system. Additionally, Mi Pastor did not possess a valid fishing license for the Tumbes area. Upon the request of Peruvian prosecutors, coast guard officials boarded Mi Pastor and Señor Cautivo and subsequently directed them back to port for detention.
Earlier in the month, three local boats were observed fishing illegally for scallops within the 2 nautical mile inshore exclusion zone off the coast of Lobos de Tierra while also using spearfishing guns to poach octopus. Environmental prosecutors are using photographic evidence obtained by the Ocean Warrior drone to build criminal cases.
“Illegal fishing is only possible because the oceans are often out of sight and out of mind for law enforcement authorities,” said Peter Hammarstedt, Director of Campaigns for Sea Shepherd. “This is why Sea Shepherd is proud to support the leadership of FEMA in this government initiative to get eyes on the water by bringing prosecutors to the scene of the crime where Peru’s unique marine wildlife is at the greatest risk.”
Peru’s waters are home to an abundance of marine life, including more than 30 species of whales and dolphins, over 60 species of sharks, and the largest anchovy population in the world. A number of the shark species found in Peruvian waters are at risk of extinction.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society provides a civilian offshore patrol vessel to assist federal environmental prosecutors in observing at-risk and migratory species and monitoring the area for threats to biodiversity. Additionally, Sea Shepherd Legal assists prosecutors and other officials with applying domestic and international law and ensuring that potential gaps in policies are identified and addressed.
“Ocean Warrior provides Peruvian environmental prosecutors with a platform to obtain data on the extent of illegal fishing activity in the waters of Peru, extending the long arm of the law to the sea,” said Dr. Flor de María Vega Zapata, National Coordinating Superior Prosecutor for FEMA. “This successful first mission has netted three trawlers and three local fishing boats, highlighting why it is imperative for FEMA to have its specialized prosecutors working at sea, and showing what is possible through innovative collaboration with civil society, like Sea Shepherd.”
In less than two days, armed Sierra Leone Navy sailors stationed on board the Sea Shepherd ship Bob Barker carried out a series of covert at-sea raids on fishing vessels in the waters of the West African country of Sierra Leone, arresting five trawlers for illegal fishing.
Captain Peter Hammarstedt and Sierra Leone Navy on board arrested trawler
In the early morning hours of the 14th of March, two trawlers that had spent the night anchored outside of an inshore exclusion zone (IEZ) reserved for artisanal fishermen were detected by radar making way into the protected area with their nets in the water. Two rigid hull inflatable boats from Bob Barker transported a law enforcement detachment of Sierra Leone Navy sailors who surprised, boarded and arrested the fishing vessels Friendship 806 and Friendship 888 in waters saturated with small-scale fishing pirogues, approximately one nautical mile inside the IEZ. Both trawlers were fishing without a license and were transmitting false electronic identifying information, one of them was appropriating the identity of another vessel fishing over 7,000 nautical miles away in the Pacific Ocean.
Sierra Leone Navy on board Sea Shepherd small boat
In Sierra Leone, more than 200,000 people work in small-scale fisheries. To safeguard the environment and to protect the livelihoods of local fishers, the government of Sierra Leone instituted an IEZ where industrial and semi-industrial fishing is strictly forbidden. However, due to challenges of monitoring, control and surveillance, local fishermen report that trawlers routinely run over their canoes and nets as fish populations also decline.
Liao Dan Yu 6618 arrested for fishing without a license
On the morning of the 15th of March, Jianmei 3 was arrested at anchor off the port of Kent on the Freetown Penninsula. Nights previously, the trawler had been documented fishing about six nautical miles inside the IEZ, just outside a marine protected area designated to conserve spawning fish. When boarded the crew were busy dismantling fishing gear, taking apart winches and trawling equipment to give inspectors the impression that the vessel had not been fishing for some time. A fishing logbook confiscated by the Sierra Leone Navy boarding team showed Jianmei 3 systematically fishing inside the IEZ on forty-four documented occasions. Jianmei 3 was arrested, placed under armed guard and brought back to Freetown. Last year, its two sister ships—Jianmei 1 and Jianmei 4—were arrested for illegal fishing and absconded from detention. Both vessels are still wanted by authorities in Sierra Leone.
Illegal catch on board arrested trawler
Hours after the apprehension of Jianmei 3, two Chinese-flagged trawlers—Liao Dan Yu 6616 and Liao Dan Yu 6618—were arrested for fishing without a license. Liao Dan Yu 6618 was carrying two separate sets of registration documents and the captain was attempting to destroy evidence when the Sierra Leone Navy breached the wheelhouse. The captain was trying to shred proof that his fishing license had been expired for one month.
Sierra Leone Navy boarding Jianmei 3
“After the arrest of Liao Dan Yu 6616 and Liao Dan Yu 6618, the remaining eleven vessels belonging to the same fleet all set course for Freetown to avoid inspections. Vessels from other fleets also retreated to safe harbor when they received news that a patrol was underway. It is the belief of Sea Shepherd and the Sierra Leone Navy that none of them had valid fishing licenses”, said Captain Peter Hammarstedt, Sea Shepherd’s Director of Campaigns.
Friendship 888 and 806 caught inside protected area
The arrest of five trawlers in the waters of Sierra Leone marks the start of Operation Sierra Leone Coastal Defense, Sea Shepherd’s eighth government partnership on the continent of Africa.
Under the leadership of Sierra Leone’s Minister of Defense and National Security, the Honorable Brigadier General (Rtd) Kellie Conteh, Sea Shepherd is supporting the Sierra Leone Navy to conduct patrols at-sea to combat illegal fishing through the assistance of Sea Shepherd crew and the Sea Shepherd vessel Bob Barker.
Sierra Leone Navy boards Liao Dan Yu 6618
“The Ministry of Defense and National Security will act decisively against any violators of Sierra Leone’s sovereign laws. These fishing vessels are plundering our waters, stealing from local fishermen and the people of Sierra Leone. These five arrests send the strong message that if you are caught fishing without a license then you will be arrested by the Sierra Leone Navy and you will be prosecuted to the furthest extent of the law”, said Hon. Brigadier General (Rtd) Kellie Coneth.
Sierra Leone Navy on board Sea Shepherd small boat
Since 2016, Sea Shepherd has also been working in partnership with the governments of Gabon, Liberia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tanzania, Namibia, The Gambia and Benin to combat fisheries crime by providing the use of civilian offshore patrol vessels to African coastal and island States so that authorities can enforce fisheries regulations and conservation laws in their sovereign waters. To date, the unique partnerships have resulted in the arrest of 67 vessels for illegal fishing and other fisheries crimes.
Photos by Alice Gregoire/Sea Shepherd
Sierra Leone Navy arrests trawlers inside protected area
Sierra Leone Navy sailor on board arrested trawler
Jianmei 3 arrested in the port of Kent
Sierra Leone Navy on board arrested Liao Dan Yu 6618
Sierra Leone Navy on board arrested Liao Dan Yu 6618
Every year in the Faroe Islands around 850 small cetaceans, primarily long finned pilot whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins, are cruelly killed in dolphin drive hunts called ‘grindadráp’ in Faroese.
Sea Shepherd was first activist group in the Faroes in 1983, with further direct-action campaigns in 1985, 1986, 2000, 2011, 2014 and 2015. Then due to vessel restrictions directed at Sea Shepherd as well as new Faroese legislation preventing interventions from any activists against the grindadrap - Sea Shepherd UK launched ‘Operation Bloody Fjords’ with land-based crew being sent to the islands every year since 2016 to investigate, document and expose the barbaric hunts to the world to bring pressure on the Faroese to finally end the grindadráp.
During 2020 our ground crew patrolled for over 2 months when COVID-19 travel restrictions were eventually lifted. Operation Bloody Fjords over recent years has generated many hundreds of international online and printed news articles, as well as featuring in radio and TV programs. However, the Danish Media rarely reported on the dolphin killings around the Faroe Islands, so Sea Shepherd UK and Sea Shepherd Scandinavia reached out to respected and recognised Danish activists to join the campaign and we were very pleased to have nine Danish activists last year in the Faroe Islands working alongside our UK volunteers.
There were no grindadrap hunts while our crews patrolled in August and September (typically the peak months for grindadrap hunts). However, three grindadrap hunts did happen during despite COVID lockdowns or physical distancing restrictions in the Faroes while pilot whales were killed during a tagging exercise and two small pods of Northern Bottlenose whales were killed after they stranded. The total of cetaceans killed in 2020 was 539 long finned pilot whales, 35 Atlantic white sided dolphins and 11 Northern bottlenose whales during the following:
18 long finned pilot whales killed during a shambolic scientific tagging exercise on the 6th June at Bour.
252 long finned pilot whales and 35 Atlantic white sided dolphins killed in a grindadrap hunt on 15th July at Hvalba.
193 long finned pilot whales killed in a grindadrap hunt on 30th July at Sandur.
6 Northern Bottlenose Whales were killed on the 17th August at Sandvik after they stranded.
5 Northern Bottlenose Whales were killed after they stranded which our crew filmed and livestreamed online on 19th August at Hvalba.
66 long finned pilot whales were killed in a grindadrap hunt on 16th October at Hvalvik
Sea Shepherd’s determination to end the grindadrap now continues with the 6th year of ‘Operation Bloody Fjords’ - our 13th campaign season on the Faroe Islands with more Danish and Scandinavian crew than ever before.
During 2020 (thanks especially to our Danish crew) we started to find we have new signs of support in the Faroe Islands, not only against the grindadrap hunts but also for other Sea Shepherd campaigns around the world. This year our volunteer crew will do everything we can to engage with and encourage more Faroese citizens to speak out against the hunts, to support Sea Shepherd campaigns around the world, and look towards establishing, hopefully in the near future a ‘Sea Shepherd Faroe Islands’ chapter.
Sea Shepherd also continues our campaign for international pressure on the Faroe Islands to end the pilot whale and dolphin hunts. We call upon both compassionate citizens and companies to boycott especially Faroese seafood products, for tourists to choose more whale and dolphin friendly destinations, and for Cruise Ship Companies to reconsider any future visits to the islands until the grindadráp hunts are ended forever.
Grindadrap at Hvalvik of Atlantic White Sided Dolphins on 11th September 2018 (Photo – Sea Shepherd UK)
Further information on the Faroese Grindadráp hunts:
The grindadráp (or ‘grind’ as the hunts are commonly called) can happen at any time at any of the 26 designated killing bays around the islands, with most of the hunts occurring between June and September.
The grindadráp has no quota and the Faroese rarely do not authorize a hunt when a pod is spotted near the coastline. The hunts are merciless as every member of the pod is killed including pregnant mothers, juveniles, and weaning calves. The grindadráp would be totally illegal under European Union legislation, because in the EU (including the kingdom of Denmark) is illegal to kill, harass or stress any cetaceans. Despite the Kingdom of Denmark being in the EU, the Faroe Islands is not, although the islands are within Europe and benefits substantially from subsidies of around $100million (USD equivalent) from Denmark as well as having free trade agreements with the EU.
The pilot whale meat which is contaminated by DDT, PCB and industrial heavy metal pollutants including mercury - poisons not only the Faroese people, but also tourists. The hunts are fully sanctioned by the Faroese government, defended by the Kingdom of Denmark (via the Danish Navy, Police and Court systems) and is continued as little more than a national sport poorly justified with arguments of sustainability, history and culture.
Due to its lucrative fishing and fish farming industries, the Faroese economy has prospered with the islanders per capita GDP comparable with other wealthy Scandinavian countries and comprehensive year-round imports of food and commodities from around the world. The current unemployment level is just 1.7% with near zero poverty recorded in the Faroes - yet still the islands still receive an annual subsidy from Denmark equivalent to $100m (USD).
“The grindadráp is a barbaric relic of a bygone age. A needless hunt of hundreds of pilot whales and dolphins which should have ended a century ago which is not needed to feed anyone on the islands” -
Sea Shepherd UK is excited to launch our new Education Site, showcasing a growing library of both teacher resources and student self-led activities. From UK-wide competitions to informative student-friendly videos, Sea Shepherd UK’s Education Site aims to broaden the message of marine conservation and protection within the UK’s education framework.
Created by Sea Shepherd UK’s own volunteer team made up of teachers and experienced Sea Shepherd activists - Sea Shepherd UK’s Education Site is designed to complement the UK school curriculum for all key stages. Our teacher resources link to both the national curriculum and exam boards to ensure that information is relevant for the classroom while our student activities offer a wide array of self-led tasks for pupils to learn about the vast marine ecosystem and Sea Shepherd campaigns in a child-friendly manner.
The education site also can be used to book a speaker for in-person or remote talks or debates to discuss Sea Shepherd’s campaigns or marine conservation issues relevant to individual Key Stages. From GCSE Biology or Geography to Key Stage 1 information of the food chain and marine pollution, our speakers will work with you to develop talks and activities to fit your curriculum and audience.
Are you a teacher and interested in sharing your passion for marine conservation? Arm yourself with first-hand information about environmental issues and marine conservation using Sea Shepherd UK’s ever-growing resource bank on our Education Site at: https://education.seashepherd.org.uk/ Keep up to date by signing up to our quarterly Education Newsletter so you will be notified of new resources, competitions and student-friendly news related to marine conservation and protection.
Young Sea Shepherd Pirates! Pillage the ever-growing selection of activities, take part in our competitions, and learn about our precious seas with our videos!
Every year in the Faroe Islands around 850 small cetaceans, primarily long finned pilot whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins, are cruelly killed in dolphin drive hunts called ‘grindadráp’ in Faroese.
Sea Shepherd was first activist group in the Faroes in 1983, with further direct action campaigns in 1985, 1986, 2000, 2011, 2014 and 2015. Then in reaction to newly imposed boat restrictions directed at Sea Shepherd and legislation preventing many direct action tactics - Sea Shepherd UK launched ‘Operation Bloody Fjords’ with land based crew being sent to the islands every year since 2016 to investigate, document and expose the barbaric hunts to the world to bring pressure on the Faroese to end the grindadráp.
Sea Shepherd’s determination to end the grindadrap now continues with ‘Operation Bloody Fjords 2020’ - our 12th campaign in the Faroes with crew already based on the islands since 1st August after COVID-19 travel restrictions were eased.
Operation Bloody Fjords over recent years has generated many hundreds of international online and printed news articles, as well as featuring in radio and TV programs. However this year Sea Shepherd are engaging the typically resistant/hesitant Danish Media who rarely report on the dolphin killings in the Faroes.
Earlier this summer, Sea Shepherd began to reach out to respected and recognised Danish activists to join the campaign to end the dolphin hunts and we are very pleased to announce a significant number of Danes have joined our crew this year in the Faroe Islands!
Sea Shepherd UK and Sea Shepherd Scandinavia also invited Michael Monberg, Founder and Chairman of the recently validated ‘Veganerpartiet’ (Vegan Party) to investigate the cruelty of the grindadráp with the aim of raising the issue in the Danish political agenda and ultimately with the Danish Parliament. Michael has been present on the Faroes islands since 2nd August talking both with local Faroese citizens and to the Danish media and public.
Veganerpartiet have released a video in Danish which can be viewed here:
and Veganerpartiet have a press release in 3 languages (click to view)
Sea Shepherd UK continues our campaign for international pressure on the Faroe Islands to end the pilot whale and dolphin hunts. We call upon both compassionate citizens and companies to boycott especially Faroese seafood products, for tourists to choose more whale and dolphin friendly destinations, and for Cruise Ship Companies to reconsider any future visits to the islands until the grindadráp hunts are ended forever.
Atlantic white sided dolphins killed at Hvalvik on the 11th September 2018 [Photo: Sea Shepherd UK]
Further information on the Faroese Grindadráp hunts:
The grindadráp (or ‘grind’ as the hunts are commonly called) can happen at any time at any of the 26 designated killing bays around the islands, with most of the hunts occurring between June and September.
The grindadráp has no quota and the Faroese rarely do not authorize a hunt when a pod is spotted near the coastline. The hunts are merciless as every member of the pod is killed including pregnant mothers, juveniles, and weaning calves. The grindadráp would be totally illegal under European Union legislation, because in the EU (including the kingdom of Denmark) is illegal to kill, harass or stress any cetaceans. Despite the Kingdom of Denmark being in the EU, the Faroe Islands is not, although the islands are within Europe and benefits substantially from subsidies of around $100million (USD equivalent) from Denmark as well s having free trade agreements with the EU.
The pilot whale meat which is contaminated by DDT, PCB and industrial heavy metal pollutants including mercury - poisons not only the Faroese people, but also tourists. The hunts are fully sanctioned by the Faroese government, defended by the Kingdom of Denmark (via the Danish Navy, Police and Court systems) and is continued as little more than a national sport poorly justified with arguments of sustainability, history and culture.
Due to its lucrative fishing and fish farming industries, the Faroese economy has prospered with the islanders per capita GDP comparable with other wealthy Scandinavian countries and comprehensive year-round imports of food and commodities from around the world. The current unemployment level is just 1.7% with near zero poverty recorded in the Faroes - yet still the islands still receive an annual subsidy from Denmark equivalent to $100m (USD).
The grindadráp is a barbaric relic of a bygone age. A needless hunt of hundreds of pilot whales and dolphins which should have ended a century ago which is not needed to feed anyone on the islands.
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For more information, or for press enquiries please contact Sea Shepherd UK on: media@seashepherduk.org
Sea Shepherd UK is pleased to announce the recent addition to our RIB fleet named Shadow’ due to its all black appearance.
Shadow will join our three existing vessels and will be primarily used on SSUK’s Ghostnet Campaign, Marine Debris Campaign and for coastal patrols.
Shadow was formerly the main patrol boat of the Northumberland Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority and as such is equipped for long distances, day and night operations and rough seas. Based on the capable Humber Ocean Pro hull, the boat will work primarily with SSUK’s ex-RNLI Atlantic 75 ‘Ghost’ transporting volunteer divers to sites where fishing gear has been lost or discarded. Such ‘ghost’ fishing gear poses a threat to the welfare of wildlife such as porpoises, turtles and sea birds as it continues to catch marine life long after being discarded.
Shadow is extremely well equipped for the job and at 7.5m is big enough to take on the rough seas but is still manageable enough to transport around the UK to wherever problems are reported. To assist with the retrieval of large nets, Shadow is equipped with a NorthLift net hauler forward of the console.
Whilst Shadow’s primary duties will be as a support vessel on the Ghostnet Campaign, due to the nature of her build she will also make an exceptional boat for wildlife crime investigations and patrolling for illegal and harmful activities carried out in UK waters. Shadow's twin 150L fuel tanks and twin Suzuki 70hp engines will allow her to be on the water for extended periods and the fitted 3D structure scan sonar is invaluable in locating fishing gear and potential dive sites underwater. Shadow has four shock mitigation seats and an automatic liferaft, radar reflector, digital VHF radio and full coded safety equipment will ensure that all crew are kept safe and comfortable.
Abandoned fishing nets and lines become indescriminate death traps for marne wildlife causing suffering, suffocation, starvation and eventually the death of the marine animal.
You can now report nets directly to Sea Shepherd's Ghostnet Campaign Crew via our secure form at: https://bit.ly/2ZqgbwO
For the second year in a row, there will be no whales harpooned in Iceland’s waters. While Covid-19 physical distancing measures would affect the operations at the Hvalur hf whaling station at Hvalfjörður - there are many other challenges keeping Icelandic whaling companies from slaughtering whales.
After whaling company 'Hvalur hf' killed 155 fin whales in 2015, Japan improved their testing protocols. New standards for imported whale meat caused major issues as Hvalur hf's fin whale meat failed Japanese Ministry of Health testing, effectively ending whaling for another three years.
Apparently overcoming the whale meat import issues from 2015, Kristjan Loftsson, CEO of Hvalur hf, re-started whaling in 2018 but had his entire whaling season documented by Sea Shepherd UK’s crew on Operation Mjölnir. As documented by Sea Shepherd, the company's two whaling ships Hvalur 8 and Hvalur 9 killed 144 endangered fin whales (including 21 pregnant females) and two rare blue/fin whale hybrids. Photographic and video evidence collected during Operation Mjolnir were subsequently used to assist in investigations by local authorities of Hvalur hf (which still faces ongoing investigations into multiple legal violations in Iceland) that have created major obstacles to their whaling operation - regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic or the declining demand for whale meat both in Iceland and in Japan.
The first Fin whale of the 2018 Icelandic whaling season being winched up the slipway at whaling station after having been harpooned the day before by Hvalur 8 – (Photo by Sea Shepherd UK 22nd June 2018 at 00.30hrs)
Kristjan Loftsson also acknowledged the lack of a profitable market for the meat now that Japan, the sole importer of fin whale products from Iceland and accounting for over 95% of Hvalur hf's potential market, began a reduced government-subsidized commercial whaling operation in their own territorial waters after finally ending the annual hunt in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC). With the Japanese taxpayer subsidizing the (also failing) Japanese whaling operation, the focus in Japan is on attempting to find a market for the products from their own whaling fleet, which leaves Hvalur hf unable to compete and turn a profit.
"I believe the writing is on the wall now for the world's most notorious whaler Kristjan Loftsson and his company Hvalur hf. Now is the time for Loftsson to hang up his harpoons and for Iceland to become an ethical whale watching nation," stated Rob Read, Chief Operating Officer of Sea Shepherd UK and coordinator of Operation Mjölnir.
Whaling ship Hvalur 8 returning with one Blue/Hybrid whale and one Fin whale (Photo: Sea Shepherd UK 11/7/2018 at 12:47 am
The other Icelandic whaling company 'IP-Utgerd' killed just six minke whales in 2018 and appeared to suffer repeated mechanical issues with their whaling vessel, which later lead to a statement from the company that it was no longer financially viable to hunt for minke whales, specifically blaming Iceland’s expansion of the whale sanctuary in Faxaflói bay in West Iceland, forcing the minke whaling further offshore. This month, the company's managing director Gunnar Bergmann was quoted by AFP as finally stating, “I'm never going to hunt whales again, I'm stopping for good.”
While fin whales were primarily hunted for export, with 1500 tons sent to Japan in 2015 and then again in 2018 - minke whales have been hunted in smaller numbers for the dwindling domestic market. According to a poll done by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Capacent Gallup, only 3.2% of Iceland's population eats whale meat on a regular basis (defined as six times a year or more) and even fewer (1.7%) eat whale meat at least once a month. Much of the local consumption was from curious tourists, but even that has declined due to the popularity of whale watching and the local “Meet Us, Don’t Eat Us” initiative to educate tourists about whaling in Iceland and promote whale-meat-free restaurants in the country.
The 2020 season will be the second year since 2002 that no whales will be slaughtered in Iceland’s waters since the country decided to resume whaling in 2003 in opposition to the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) 1986 moratorium.
English television presenter, journalist and documentary filmmaker Stacey Dooley MBE met Sea Shepherd crew during her latest documentary, Stacey Dooley Investigates: The Whale Hunters, while researching the hunting of pilot whales and dolphins in the Faroe Islands.
Sea Shepherd have been leading the opposition to the grindadráp (or ‘grind’ as the hunts are locally known) since the early 1980s. 2019 saw Sea Shepherd crew living in the Faroe Islands for the organisation’s eleventh year of campaigning against the hunts - ‘Operation Bloody Fjords’.
Dooley met with Sea Shepherd volunteers who come from all over the world and aim to bring to light what is happening by sharing images on social media and live streaming the hunts.
Footage from one of the livestreams showed the attempted slaughter of a dolphin with a spinal lance (a tool specifically designed to kill pilot whales and dolphins). When the dolphin didn’t immediately die, a knife was used to kill the mammal.
Other volunteer footage showed a pilot whale suffering a similar fate.
Dooley met with Kate Sanderson, an advisor to the Faroese government on responsible hunting, to put forward the argument that despite all the research to the contrary, the whales and dolphins in the grind often don’t die quickly and do suffer. Her concern was that this suffering isn’t monitored, and she showed Sanderson Sea Shepherd footage to confirm her argument.
Sanderson conceded that “it is a slaughter of wild animals in an uncontrolled environment, so it’s never going to be completely clinical.”
Dooley concluded the documentary stating that whale hunting is an emotive topic because it involves people’s traditions and beliefs, but admitted that she didn’t agree with the suffering of these animals.
She revealed that the Faroese government had written to her to inform her that that they are developing a smaller spinal lance for dolphins.
Rob Read, Chief Operating Officer of Sea Shepherd UK, said: “We worked with the producers of this documentary in terms of giving them some background to the whaling season and what to expect but had no input whatsoever to the content. To see Stacey’s genuine reaction when witnessing the killing of a dolphin, said it all for me. Not to mention the fact that there is plenty of research pointing towards the fact that the consumption of whale meat exposes people to high levels of heavy metal and industrial pollutant poisoning, which wasn’t covered in the programme”.
‘Stacey Dooley Investigates: The Whale Hunters’ will also be shown on mainstream TV on BBC2 and is being released for worldwide distribution via the BBC network and affiliates.
Sea Shepherd is calling on cruise companies visiting the Faroe Islands to show their opposition to the hunting of hundreds of pilot whales and dolphins each year by removing the Faroe Islands from their future cruise ship itineraries.
Sea Shepherd has been leading the opposition to the grindadráp (or ‘grind’ as these hunts are commonly called) since the early 1980s and is currently in the Faroe Islands for the organisation’s eleventh year with ‘Operation Bloody Fjords 2019’. As part of this campaign Sea Shepherd UK is appealing for cruise ship companies to publicly voice their opposition to the killing of around 850 pilot whales and dolphins each year by the Faroese.
Captain Paul Watson (Sea Shepherd’s Founder) and Rob Read (Chief Operating Officer of Sea Shepherd UK) and Helen Taylor (Ambassador of Sea Shepherd UK) have written to all sixteen cruise companies offering trips to the Faroe islands, requesting that they declare that the Faroes Islands will no longer be a port of call or destination of their ships until such times as the grindadráp is consigned to history.
Hvannasund grindadrap - 87 long finned pilot whales & 12 Atlantic White Sided Dolphins were killed on 16th August 2018
Letters (both hardcopy and by email) have been sent to the Chief Executives and Presidents of the following cruise companies: Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Hurtigruten, Viking Ocean Cruises, Silversea, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Phoenix Reisen, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Pullmantur, Seabourn, Nicko Cruises, Plantours Kreuzfahrten, Oceania Cruises and Windstar Cruises.
Watson and Read have explained that the hunts “can happen at any time, at any one of the 26 designated killing bays around the Faroe Islands…. with no season, no quota, a lack of effective regulation and despite pilot whale meat being heavily contaminated”. And that when the Faroese kill pilot whales and dolphins “every member of every pod is killed including pregnant mothers, juveniles and weaning babies. None are ever spared”.
Sea Shepherd crew are currently on the Faroe Islands engaging with tourists (including those arriving on the islands by cruise ship) and educating them about this barbaric activity and encouraging them to limit their spending on the islands in silent protest of the hunts.
Atlantic White Sided Dolphins of all ages killed in a grindadrap at Hvalvik - 11th September 2018
This year our crew in the Faroes is again filming, photographing and live-streaming the hunts to the web as well as working with mainstream TV crews, journalists and documentary makers to expose the dolphin hunts to a worldwide audience in several different languages.
In 2015 Sea Shepherd successfully persuaded two major German cruise-liner companies (AIDA and Hapag-Lloyd) to cancel their tours to the Faroe Islands because of the continued Faroese dolphin hunts. Despite this bold move - the number of cruise ships visiting the Faroes has increased dramatically in recent years largely due to a well-funded publicity drive by ‘Visit Faroe Islands’, the public face of the Faroe Islands' official tourist board - describing the islands as “Europe’s best kept secret”.
“If the cruise companies back this campaign and stop taking tourists to the Faroe Islands this will significantly impact the islands’ economy. Combined with Sea Shepherd UK’s continuous exposure of this issue, it is hoped our efforts will finally force the Danish Government and Faroese Parliament to call a final halt to these unnecessary and cruel hunts” - Rob Read, Chief Operating Officer, Sea Shepherd UK
536 long finned pilot whales and 7 Atlantic white sided dolphins killed in the Danish Faroe Islands so far in 2019. The first hunt of a family of 70 pilot whales on New Year’s Day immediately lost the Faroese a One Million Euros incentive to end the Grindadráp (100,000 Euros each year for 10 consecutive years if there was zero cetacean kills) which was offered by Sea Shepherd UK on the 28th September 2018.
Over the last decade, a total of 7,744 small cetaceans of 5 different species have lost their lives in the Faroe Islands in grindadráp hunts.
In 2008, an article in the New Scientist told how Faroe chief medical officers Pál Weihe and Høgni Debes Joensen deemed whale meat unsafe for human consumption because of high mercury content. They told how mercury poisoning could trigger a range of ailments including fetal neural development, high blood pressure, circulatory problems and possible infertility.
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Images of the grind from September 12th at Skálafjörður. Scroll for more. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Dolphin injured by boat propeller in the grind on September 12th at Skálafjörður.
Every year in the Faroe Islands around 850 small cetaceans, primarily long finned pilot whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins, are cruelly killed in dolphin drive hunts called ‘grindadráp’ in Faroese.
Every year in the Faroe Islands around 850 small cetaceans, primarily long finned pilot whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins, are cruelly killed in dolphin drive hunts called ‘grindadráp’ in Faroese.
Danish
