Posts Tagged ‘Faroe Islands’
Faroese Prime Minister claims whale hunt is regulated
The Faroese Prime Minister, Kaj Leo Holm Johannesen, has claimed that whaling in the islands is “sustainable and fully-regulated” in a statement issued in response to recent criticism of the continued hunting of pilot whales. He goes on to say that the hunt is a natural part of Faroes life that has being going on for…
Read MoreLarge group of pilot whales slaughtered in Faroes hunt
Reports from the Faroes suggest that over 150 pilot whales have been killed in the first drive hunt (grind) of the year . The slaughter, which involves the herding of whales by boats into shallow coves, took place on the island of Vágar in the northwest of the Faroe Islands. The grinds are an extremely…
Read MoreOf Mermaids, Dolphins, and Sea Change
A few years ago, we were approached by naturalist and author Ran Levy-Yamamori, introducing us to his wonderful story “The Mermaid and the Dolphins.” After translating it into Japanese and Danish, we shared it more widely with a hope that its message would reach across the globe, and especially within those communities in Japan and…
Read MoreWhilst the EU sacrifices political capital for Greenlandic whaling, what are Greenland and the Faroese doing?
So the EU Commission is extending itself to support Greenland’s demands for overturning the IWC’s accepted criteria for aboriginal subsistence whaling (ASW), but what is Greenland and the Faroe Islands, Denmark’s two North Atlantic overseas territories doing to help the EU Commission? Well, nothing it would seem. The Arctic Journal reports that whilst ‘foreign policy in…
Read MoreConsider the pilot whales
A new website has surfaced that shifts the focus from the conflict surrounding the pilot whale drive hunts, or ‘grindadrap,’ that usually occur in the Faroe Islands between the months of May and November, to the beauty and wonder of the pilot whale. Introduced just weeks ago, grindaboð.fo provides a Faroese perspective on pilot whales…
Read MoreReflecting on the Faroese Pilot Whale Hunt
The following a personal reflection on the Faroese pilot whale hunt and I realise that the views expressed may not be shared by all, however, having read a recent articulate defence of the hunt by Elin Brimheim Heinesen I thought I would share some of my own thoughts. You may not agree with everything I say, but…
Read MoreFirst Faroes hunt of the season kills 13 whales
It is believed that up to 13 whales have been killed in the first hunt (or grind) of the season in the Faroes. The grind took place in Fuglafirði with about 20 boats participating. Every year in the Faroe Islands, a territory of Denmark, hundreds of pilot whales and other species including bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic…
Read MoreThe Grind Season Continues in the Faroe Islands
Another pilot whale ‘grind’ has occurred on November 1 in Hvannasund on the Island of Vidoy where 85 pilot whales were killed. This is the first hunt of the season that has taken place in the killing bay of Hvannasund. The largest hunt of pilot whales occurred on July 30th in Fuglafjordur, Esturoy where an…
Read MoreThe nature of change: Are we allowed to clean up other people´s yards?
Campaigner Astrid Fuchs shares her personal reflection on her recent trip to the Faroe Islands. “You can´t tell a fisheries nation not take something from the sea. Or at least you need to give them some time to get their head around that thought”, is something that an Icelandic colleague recently said to me and…
Read MoreWhen things go wrong
Journalist Hans Peter Roth shares a final blog reflecting upon his outreach in the Faroe Islands and the most recent grind. Sunday, 21st of July 2013 saw the first Faroese drive hunt of the year. 125 pilot whales were driven onto the beach of Víðvík and killed. This is the same beach where – in November 2010…
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