Faroes to Introduce Tourism Tax for "Nature Protection" While Continuing to Kill Whales

The Faroe Islands have made headlines five times in just eight weeks for killing 592 pilot whales during several large grinds. This archipelago in the Northern Atlantic also caught the media’s attention for implementing a new tourism tax starting on October 1st, 2025. The purpose of this tax is to protect the local environment and nature, which is threatened by the growing tourism on the islands. The irony of introducing a tax to protect nature is blatant while engaging in the mass destruction of marine wildlife during the grind is striking.

Due to the rising numbers of tourist visiting the Faroe Islands, the local government has decided to impose a visitor tax to compensate for potential environmental damage. The government have set the tax at 20 Danish kroner per night limited to a maximum of ten nights. The tax revenue will be used for environmental initiatives, such as the restoration of paths and protecting nature.

The tax has been criticized by locals and international voices alike. Locals felt offended and went on strike, while international voices questioned how a tax be legitimated by sustainability and for the cause of nature protection while at the same time completely ignore the deliberate destruction of nature and its wildlife.

Sea Shepherd has documented the grind in the Faroe Islands for over 40 years, revealing not only the cruel and brutal practice of the killing methods, but also the unsustainable handling of the whale meat and the leftover carcasses. The grind typically involves killing the entire pod of pilot whales. Young and even unborn whales are killed, impacting future generations and the loss of pod-individual, cultural characteristics and the natural interplay in the marine ecosystem. Whale meat is no longer a core part of the Faroese diets. Sea Shepherd crew have also documented significant food waste through regular dumpster diving, raising the question of the necessity to kill pilot whales for consumption.

With the introduction of the tourism tax to protect nature, tourists should scrutinize Faroe Island sustainability practices and destruction of marine ecosystems in the grind before visiting.  The protection of nature should extend to all forms of wildlife, including the pilot whales and white-sided dolphins killed in the hunts.

The grind must stop now.