By Chantal Da Silva - NBC News
Dolphin hunting is a centuries-old practice in the Faroe Islands, located between Scotland and Iceland.
But this tradition faces new scrutiny after
more than 1,400 of these aquatic mammals were killed on Sunday in an unprecedented act
that has sparked outrage from local residents and global environmental groups.
Hunting on the North Atlantic islands is not done for commercial purposes and is authorized by the Government.
But even those who support her expressed concern precisely that this year's event could elicit increased scrutiny.
Image released by the environmental group Sea Shepherd Sea Shepherd via AP
For hundreds of years, the inhabitants of the Faroe Islands have participated in the annual hunting tradition,
known as
grind
, or
grindadráp
in Faroese
(a Norse language).
During this practice, pilot whales, the second largest dolphin species after killer whales, and other dolphins, are cornered in the fjords before being stabbed to death.
The tradition of this remote island was unveiled to global audiences in the
Netflix documentary
Seaspiracy
earlier this year.
According to the Government of the Faroe Islands, this practice is "fully regulated" and considered "sustainable", with an average of 600 pilot whales and 250 white-flanked dolphins caught each year in the last two decades.
Sunday's catch, however, surpassed that average and the Seattle-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society estimated that at least 1,428 white-flanked dolphins were killed, something the organization called "cruel and unnecessary hunting."
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"Considering the times, with a global pandemic and the world at a standstill, it is absolutely appalling to see an attack on nature of this scale in the Faroe Islands," said Alex Cornelissen, Managing Director of Sea Shepherd Global, in a statement. .
"
If we have learned anything from this pandemic, it is that we have to live in harmony with nature instead of annihilating it,
" he added.
The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has long called for an end to the "bloody slaughter of whales" in the Faroe Islands.
Bjarni Mikkelsen, a marine biologist from the Faroe Islands, said the catch represented the highest number of dolphins killed in a single day on the islands.
The highest figure previously, according to him, had been 1,200 in 1940.
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Traditionally, he said,
grindadráp
is "very well organized and when the hunt occurs, there are enough people on the beach that it is very rare that it lasts more than 10 minutes."
On Sunday, he added, the carnage lasted just under an hour, prompting disturbing scenes on the shore that left local residents in shock.
Mikkelsen said he believed the hunters were unprepared for the large school of white-flanked dolphins they encountered, as Faroese hunts tend to focus on pilot whales, which are larger and therefore provide more meat.
Páll Nolsøe, a spokesman for the Faroese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Culture, acknowledged that Sunday's capture was "
exceptionally large
".
And, as he said Wednesday, "there is no question that whale hunts are a dramatic spectacle for people unfamiliar with them."
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However, he maintained that even Sunday's capture would be considered sustainable by the Faroese Government, as this practice helps support communities through local means.
"It is very important to understand that the basis of whaling in the Faroe Islands is to provide food," he said, "the meat is distributed among the participants ... and also among the local communities."
In addition, he noted that this whaling has been done in the Faroe Islands
"since Viking times"
and is therefore considered by many to be an important part of Faroese identity and cultural heritage.
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Mikkelsen claimed that "all the meat" from Sunday's hunt was distributed to local communities in the Faroe Islands.
"That's a positive thing at least," he said.
However, he believes that the incident at the weekend highlights, at the very least, the need to regulate the number of dolphins that can be killed each year, as well as in a single hunt.
Nolsøe stated that although those who participate in the hunt are required to obtain a permit from local authorities and are subject to animal welfare regulations that require animals to be killed "as quickly and efficiently as possible",
there are currently no regulations on the number of dolphins that can be euthanized.
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As the fallout from Sunday's hunt continues, he said, this could soon be up for debate.