Pilot whales slaughtered in the Faeroes in 2010, photo: Sofia Jonsson
Pilot whales slaughtered in the Faeroes in 2010, photo: Sofia Jonsson
50 to 100 pilot whales were driven into a fjord at Vestmanna in the Faeroe Islands around noon today where every adult male, female, and calf was killed in a massacred that stained the waters a deep scarlet.
This followed in the recent wake of Sea Shepherd’s departure from the Faeroes after successfully preventing the killing during Operation Ferocious Isles Pilot Whale Defense Campaign. Sea Shepherd’s limited budget dictated that they could only spend two months in the Faeroes, during which time no whales were killed.
The pilot whale grind is similar to the annual dolphin slaughter in Japan, documented in the Academy Award-winning film, The Cove. The main difference, and thus challenge for Sea Shepherd, is that there are at least 23 different coves in the Faeroes where a grind could potentially take place, as opposed to one main cove in Taiji. Sea Shepherd has been actively opposing and confronting the Faeroese grind since 1985. Sea Shepherd’s website lists a number to report a “grind” by calling: +45 36 96 08
Excerpt from recent commentary by Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: “The annual horrific program of massacring defenseless dolphins officially began in Taiji, Japan on September 1, but thanks to the timely arrival of Typhoon Talas, the killing has been delayed for at least a week. The sea is not being very kind to Japan this year but then again, Japan has not been very kind to the sea for some time.
The fishermen of Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture pride themselves in dragging the reputation of Japan through the mud by continuing what has now become the most barbarically cruel, and bloody vicious dolphin slaughter in the world.”
Volunteer divers work to remove 800 pounds of discarded fishing net from the ocean bottom Tuesday near the Coronado Islands. Photo courtesy of Ocean Defenders Alliance
Southern California divers with the Orange County-based nonprofit Ocean Defenders Alliance went out this week to retrieve the net. Ocean Defenders’ mission is to locate and remove abandoned fishing gear—often called “ghost gear”—that can ensnare all kinds of marine life. Heavy waves can also drag nets and traps along the ocean floor, damaging reefs, kelp and other habitat.
See recent video interview from NBC San Diego.
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