592 Dead Pilot Whales Are Weighing Heavily On Our Minds

Commentary by Sea Shepherd's Faroe Islands Campaign Lead, Valentina Crast

Yesterday's slaughter of pilot whales in Hvalvik stole the lives of 90 pilot whales and an unknown number of unborn whales.

As the area was heavily restricted the details of the pod will never be fully known. But we did find juveniles dead and cut up and we did see signs of pregnant whales, but no fetuses in sight today.

In just 8 weeks 592 whales have been brutally slaughtered.

The annual average is close to 1000, so we still have a long summer ahead of us, and we need your support.

There is no easy solution to ending this cruelty. The older generation of whalers are holding on to their traditional killing like their lives depend on it, and they are doing their best to inspire the younger generation to join in.

It's a battle for a violent tradition closely tied to their identity or empathy and respect for the future of our precious ocean life. Some days we are optimistic and other days not so much. But we still believe that there needs to be a strategic opposition to this cruelty, and until we see a local voice that can carry some of the weight well, then we are going to keep working.

Every year we get to know new people.... But we are yet to see them ready to take the lead.

Why do we need you to follow and support?

Because international pressure is an efficient way to advocate for change. Public, policy, and corporate pressure all play a role in getting the Faroese government and other stakeholders to regard the grind as a problematic issue for their international relationships.

Whether you help us create that pressure by contacting your local or European representative and ask them to support the Stop The Grind coalition in our work to influence trade deals with the Faroes, or you go down to your local store and restaurants and ask them if they sell Faroese fish, and if they do share with them that you wont spend your money there, or even if you just share all the images and videos of the cruelty, so you can help raise awareness, this is a way to take action and it will all play a part in the larger scheme of things.

Ending the Grind is not a sprint, it's a marathon.

It's also not a war against the Faroese people. On the contrary, it's very much a call for help to those Faroese who see the suffering of these animals, but still have not spoken up.

This is a joint effort by so many. Some are in the spotlight, some are not.

We are reaching out to international organizations of influence and asking them to join our work in the STG coalition, cause we need to unite to get the job done and finally be able to start an era where pilot whales and dolphins have free passage through Faroese waters and the fjords are full of life and not blood.

Reach out to your favorite charity and ask them to join the coalition.

#stopthegrind