78 whales killed in front of cruise ship passengers in the Faroe Islands

Table Of Content

• Marine conservationists were among cruise ship passengers who witnessed 78 whales being slaughtered
• Cruise ship passengers witness startling slaughter of 78 pilot whales in Faroe Islands
• MORE: Man who calls himself 'Dolphin Dave' cited for continuously harassing humpback whale, dolphin pod: Officials
• long-finned pilot whales, a species of oceanic dolphins were killed near the capital of Torshavn on Sunday.
• ABC News
• pilot whales were slaughtered near a cruise ship carrying marine conservationists
• Our daily news update, sent to you Monday-Friday
• More from NPR

The recent slaughter of pilot whales witnessed by guests who had sailed aboard the Ambition operated by Ambassador Cruise line earlier this week to the port capital of Torshavn in the Faroe Islands reminded me of the first time I became aware of this repulsive activity. Eight years ago (July 2015), a reader of Cruise Law News asked me what I thought of cruise lines sailing to the Faroe Islands where they routinely slaughter pilot whales. I wasn’t even exactly sure what a pilot whale was, but I promised her that I would look into it. ORCA said its conservationists witnessed more than 40 small boats and jet skis herd the whales into shallow waters before 150 hunters slaughtered the 78 whales with hooks and "killing lances" in 20 minutes. Among the passengers were conservationists with ORCA, a marine life advocacy group that seeks to protect whales and dolphins in European waters. LONDON -- A cruise line has apologized to over 1,000 of its passengers after one of its ships arrived at port in the middle of a whale hunt where dozens of the marine mammals were being slaughtered.

Marine conservationists were among cruise ship passengers who witnessed 78 whales being slaughtered

The practice involves local residents driving and herding pods of pilot whales toward the shores of designated bays or fjords. The Faroese government insists on its website that the practice "is deemed sustainable," requiring all hunters to carry a license and only hunt in designated areas. It notes that the total population in the region is around 778,000 and that only about 100,000 come near the Faroe Islands each year, of which they claim to kill only the smallest portion. Cruise ship passengers arrived in the Faroe Islands as dozens of whales were killed as part of a traditional hunt, the cruise line confirmed Thursday. Subsequently, the CEO of Ambassador Cruise Line sheepishly acknowledged the incident on Twitter and professed some degree of remorse that the guests were “upset” by the gruesome carnage.

Cruise ship passengers witness startling slaughter of 78 pilot whales in Faroe Islands

But the people in the Faroes are not satisfied with killing just whales; they view most anything swimming in their waters as fair game to slaughter. The Washington Post wrote that in addition to pilot whales, the Faroes’ hunters “target other small whales and dolphins, such as orcas, Atlantic white-sided dolphins and Northern bottlenose whales . Among those passengers were conservationists with ORCA, a marine life advocacy group that seeks to protect whales and dolphins in European waters. Since 2021, Ambassador has paid for ORCA staff to join their cruises in order to educate tourists on marine wildlife and collect data on the animals. In addition to pilot whales, Hourston said hunters target other small whales and dolphins, such as orcas, Atlantic white-sided dolphins and Northern bottlenose whales. In September 2021, participants killed more than 1,400 Atlantic white-sided dolphins, an alarming body count that forced the government to cap the number at 500.

MORE: Man who calls himself 'Dolphin Dave' cited for continuously harassing humpback whale, dolphin pod: Officials

Blue Planet Society, which has tracked the hunt and the total killings, said the July 9 hunt brings the total this year to 650, and they called on the European Union and U.K. Sadly, the vast majority of cruise lines still sail to the Faroe Islands and have all ignored prior boycott efforts. The tourist board Visit Faroe Islands (whose Twitter name is @VisitFaroe), as well as the tourism board for the capital Torshavn (whose Twitter name is @VisitTorshavn) blocked our firm on Twitter, which should give you some insight into how the Faroes handles criticism of its barbaric pastime.

long-finned pilot whales, a species of oceanic dolphins were killed near the capital of Torshavn on Sunday.

Each catch is "distributed for free in the local community" but "in some supermarkets and on the dockside, whale meat and blubber is occasionally available for sale." Visit Faroe Islands says on its website about 800 pilot whales are killed a year, a number the government claims is sustainable. Whale and Dolphin Conservation estimates the global pilot whale population is 800,000 to 1 million, and about 100,000 reside in Faroe’s waters.

The Post explained that although “the carnage caught the cruise line by surprise when it pulled into Torshavn, the company had been aware of the annual event.” The cruise line’s CEO had even “expressed his dismay over a dolphin hunt” that had occurred in 2021. Ironically, Ambassador teamed up with a marine conservation group called ORCA based in the United Kingdom, on an anti-whaling and dolphin hunt campaign. Ambassador can confirm that the arrival of Ambition in Torshavn in the Faroe Islands today coincided with the culmination of a hunt of 40+pilot whales in the port area. We were incredibly disappointed that this hunt occurred at the time that our ship was in port.

The British cruise liner received a mixed response to its apology to stunned passengers — with some slamming the operator for criticizing local tradition while others called for a boycott of the island altogether. Cruise ship accidents, injuries, crimes, disappearances, fires, and collisions on the high seas involve issues of maritime law. Jim Walker graduated from law school in 1983 and has been handling maritime law cases for the past thirty-five years. He handles a wide variety of cases from serious injuries to the highest profile sexual assault and cruise crime cases. According to Visit Faroe Islands, about 800 whales are killed annually and meat is distributed among those who participate. In a press release, ORCA said some of its conservationists were on the ship with tourists when the killings took place.

Locals will herd the whale pods to certain locations with shallow water, where hunters wait to kill them using knives and hooks. "We fully appreciate that witnessing this local event would have been distressing for the majority of guests onboard," the company added. "Accordingly, we would like to sincerely apologize to them for any undue upset." The killing of more than 1,400 dolphins in the region sparked outrage in 2021. At the time, the chairman of the Faroese Whalers Association told the BBC that while the number of dolphins killed was excessive, it was accidental.

78 whales slaughtered in front of cruise passengers in Faroe Islands - The Washington Post

78 whales slaughtered in front of cruise passengers in Faroe Islands.

Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

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In a 2021 letter to Faroe’s prime minister, chief executive Christian Verhounig expressed his dismay over a dolphin hunt that had occurred in September. That same year, the company teamed up with ORCA, a marine conservation group based in the United Kingdom, on an anti-whaling and dolphin hunt campaign. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the long and short finned pilot whales as "data deficient," meaning that there is not sufficient information to accurately give them a population status. The pilot whale is a marine mammal that belongs to the same family as dolphins and orcas.

Known for social behavior and their distinctive flat face and curved pectoral fin, they are found in the North Atlantic Ocean including waters around the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway and the British Isles. Passengers were there as 78 pilot whales, which are techncally one of the largest members of the dolphin family, were killed in the port area on Sunday. The North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Faroe Islands was red with the blood of 78 long-finned pilot whales that were hunted by men in the island’s capital of Torshavn, Yahoo News Australia reported. In a statement shared with ORCA, Ambassador said while the practice was a traditional way of sustaining communities, it had now become "outdated" and had instead turned commercial, with whale meat being sold in local supermarkets.

Cruise Ship Passengers Watch Another Barbaric Whale Slaughter in the Bloody Faroe Islands - Cruise Law News

Cruise Ship Passengers Watch Another Barbaric Whale Slaughter in the Bloody Faroe Islands.

Posted: Fri, 14 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The species is threatened by whaling, entanglement in fishing gear, disease and contaminants in ocean waters, NOAA says. Ambassador Cruise Lne said the company told "guests and crew not to buy or eat any whale or dolphin meat and stand against any profiteering from commercial whaling and dolphin hunts." The Faroese catch an average of 600 pilot whales annually, according to government data. From 2000 to 2020, no more than 773 white-sided dolphins were caught in a single year. The mass slaughter of pilot whales is a centuries-old hunting tradition in the Faroe Islands. A few cruise lines have discontinued supporting cruises to the deadly Faroes Islands in protest of the annual slaughter of pilot whales, namely two German lines, Hapag-Lloyd and AIDA.

The cruise ship was docked for a stop in Tórshavn, the main harbor of the 18-island territory between Iceland and the Shetland Islands. While the local government has invested more into its tourism sector, fishing and marine-related industries still remain the region's top economic driver. The European Union bans the killing of whales and dolphins; however, the self-governing country under the Kingdom of Denmark is not a member of the organization. Government officials said its hunting techniques have improved over the years, though animal welfare groups disagree.

These are not far out-at-sea murders by huge Japanese ships away from civilization. These are well attended sporting events where the whales are chased into a harbor and killed by the locals with knives while their family members cheer them on. The locals call it the “Grindadráp Grind.” I call it the killing of defenseless mammals for fun by sick sociopaths. There is nothing “traditional” about using helicopters and power boats to herd and kill whales. Many hundreds of pilot whales are slaughtered annually in the Faroe Islands which has admitted that around 800 pilot whales are killed each year.