After outcry in 2021, Faroe Islands to limit this year’s dolphin kill

FAROE ISLANDS: After last year’s slaughter of more than 1,400 dolphins in one day that led to international condemnation and local criticism, the government on the Faroe Islands is proposing an annual catch limit of 500 white-sided dolphins for 2022 and 2023.

The hunt, which environmental activists claim is cruel, is part of a four-century-old traditional in the North Atlantic islands.

The Faroe Islands are located in the North Atlantic between Scotland and Denmark.

However, as last year’s hunt was far larger than previous ones and seemingly took place without the usual organization, even local residents who defend the tradition raised concerns that it would draw unwanted attention.

This week, the island’s government said the cap, which is expected to be implemented as an executive order by 25th July, was “in response to the unusually large catch” on 14th September, 2021.

In a statement, the government said, “Aspects of that catch were not satisfactory, in particular the unusually large number of dolphins killed. This is unlikely to be a sustainable level of catch on a long-term annual basis.”

According to local data, Faroe Islanders usually kill up to 1,000 sea mammals, mainly pilot whales, annually. In 2020, that included only 35 white-sided dolphins. Both species are not classified as endangered species.

During the annual hunt, the sea mammals are driven into shallow waters, and a blow-hole hook is used to secure them. The drives are regulated by law and the meat and blubber are shared with the community.

The Faroe government said it “continues to base its policies and management measures on the right and responsibility of its people to utilize the resources of the sea sustainably. This also includes marine mammals, such as pilot whales and dolphins.”