Images of bloody dolphin hunts by fishermen on the self-governing islands in the North Atlantic make headlines around the world each year, inciting outrage among animal rights activists who regard the practise as barbaric.
The new 500-dolphin quota announced on Sunday follows a “unusually large catch” of 1,423 white-sided dolphins in September last year, according to the government of the Danish autonomous territory.
“An annual catch limit of 500 white-sided dolphins has now been proposed on a provisional basis by the Ministry of Fisheries for 2022 and 2023,” the territory’s fisheries ministry said in a statement.
“Aspects of that catch [2021] were unsatisfactory, particularly the unusually large number of dolphins killed,” according to the statement.
“This made procedures difficult to manage and is unlikely to be a long-term annual level of catch,” it added.
A review of the dolphin hunt was launched in February after the Faroese government received a petition with nearly 1.3 million signatures calling for the tradition to be banned.
Hunters surround dolphins or pilot whales with a wide semi-circle of fishing boats and drive them into a shallow bay where they are beached in the Faroese tradition known as “grindadrap,” or “grind” for short. On the beach, fishermen slaughter them with knives.
Despite frequent international outrage, the hunt continues to enjoy widespread support in the Faroes, where supporters point out that the animals have fed the local population for centuries.
The government emphasised on Sunday that the catches are a “important supplement to the livelihoods of Faroe Islanders.”
“The Faroese Government continues to base its policies and management measures on the Faroese people’s right and responsibility to use the sea’s resources sustainably.” This includes marine mammals such as pilot whales and dolphins, according to the ministry’s statement.
