About 1,500 dolphins are caught in the Faroe Islands. A non-governmental organization condemns the massacre in strong images | temper nature

Attention: Below, this article reproduces other powerful images of the murder. They were released as a warning from the NGO Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Fishing in the North Atlantic islands is permitted and non-commercial, yet environmental activists claim it is cruel. Hunting for dolphins and whales is part of a tradition that was established in the 16th century.

According to tradition, animals – mainly whales – are dragged ashore to be stabbed to death. A hook is used to secure stranded whales while cutting the spine and main artery with knives.

Despite tradition, beluga dolphins and pilot whales are not an endangered species.

after the last event, Even people who defend dolphin hunting are afraid of the amount of dead animals, which is much higher than the previous year, attracts unwanted attention to local traditions.

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Last year, it killed 35 dolphins, compared to about 1,500 animals this year.

Heri Petersen, head of a group that hunts pilot whales in the central Faroe Islands, where the deaths occurred over the weekend, said he had not been informed of the incident. Peterson told news site in.fo. That at that time there were too many dolphins and too few people on the beach to kill.

Every year, residents of the Faroe Islands kill about 1,000 marine mammals, including whales and white-tailed dolphins.

Olafur Gordarberg, president of the Pilot Whaling Association, fears it will renew the discussion and cast a negative light on the traditions espoused by the 18 rocky islands between Iceland and Scotland.

“We have to remember that we are not alone on Earth. On the contrary, the world is much smaller today, with everyone walking around with a camera in their pocket,” Sjurdarberg told local station KVF. “This is a perfect situation for those who want us to (look bad) when it comes to pilot whaling.”

Everything is done according to the rules of dolphin fishing, Faroe Islands Fisheries Minister Jacob Westergaard told local radio station Kringfarb Furuya.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, based in Seattle, opposed the hunting of aquatic mammals. In a Facebook post, the organization called the weekend’s events “poaching.”

The Convention on Wildlife and Natural Habitats in Europe, in force since 1982, classifies pilot whales and all whales, including dolphins, as “strictly protected” without permission for slaughter.

Despite the protests of environmentalists, Animal slaughter is illegal in the Faroe Islands. This is because the archipelago is not a member of the European Union, it refers politically only to Denmark, which controls defense, foreign policy and currency. According to Sea Shepherd, the main reason the islands did not join the European Union is to keep fishing.