Researcher Disputes Alleged “instantaneous” Killing Method in the Grind

The slaughter of Pilot whales in the Faroes Islands in August 2023, photo by Sea Shepherd.

Sea Shepherd and the broader Stop the Grind coalition have been actively exposing the cruelty of the Grindadráp hunts. We have shown that the attempts by the Faroese government to regulate the killings are merely an attempt to save face, with little meaningful change to benefit marine life. 

A recent article by Alick Simmions published in Frontiers in Marine Affairs and Policy has echoed this message, drawing attention to the lack of evidence of the apparent humaneness of the killing methods used in the Grindadráp. 

Faroe Island authorities regulate that cetaceans must be killed by severing their spinal cords using a long-handled lance during the grind. Critically, the authorities, aligned with the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO), do not require pre-stunning. 

Most national and EU laws require animals for human consumption to be stunned before killing to minimize the harmful impact on animal welfare, with some exceptions for religious slaughter. Many scientific experts agree that stunning can reduce animal suffering when carried out correctly. The guidelines for handling land mammals may not be suitable for whales and dolphins in the wild. However, there is a consensus that the underlying guidance to minimize stress and use gentle handling techniques should be upheld across species. 

The Faroese authorities claim that their method of killing, using a long-handled lance to sever the spinal cord, induces unconsciousness and triggers near-instantaneous death in cetaceans, so stunning is not necessary.

Alick Simmions' Frontiers in Marine Affairs and Policy article disputes these claims. The article highlights the intense stress cetaceans experience during hunting due to noise, disorientation, unfamiliar environment, disruption of social groups, and the chase and capture process.

Simmions reviews existing scientific research to disprove further the assumption that death is instantaneous. The article suggests that cetaceans have a different cervical and spinal arterial circulation than terrestrial mammals. It indicates that cetaceans are unlikely to be immediately rendered unconscious. Instead, it suggests that cetaceans are likely paralyzed but conscious for an unknown period after the spinal cord is severed since some blood can still travel to the brain. 

The article clearly shows that the drive hunt in the Grindadráp falls short of the accepted handling standards used for other mammalian species. The article reaffirms what we already intuitively know - that the grind is far from humane. However, we are encouraged to see the scientific community challenging the claims of the Faroese government. We are working tirelessly to give critical voices a unified platform where we can work together to end the slaughters.