«Enough slaughter of dolphins and whales - the Danish government must intervene».

A slaughter. Or rather, a massacre. The images suggest it. Brutal, extremely brutal. The numbers say so. Almost one thousand five hundred dolphins killed. For pleasure. Or rather, for tradition. The crime occurred Sunday in the Faroe Islands, an archipelago with an autonomous government but dependent on the Kingdom of Denmark. The news, of course, has gone around the world. Sea Shepherd, which has been working for many years to stop hunting in the open sea, has not minced words: «This is the biggest killing of dolphins or pilot whales in Faroese history».

The whaling, which is called Grindadráp, is perfectly legal. What’s more, it’s a very popular event up there. So much so that locals gather to watch the animals being killed. So they share the meat. Tradition, indeed. But at what price? The dispute is igniting social media. Even in the Faroe Islands there are those who are outraged. Also because the hunt on Sunday, Sea Shepherd reiterates, would be carried out by people without the necessary license. Many of the dolphins were even run over by the boats and slaughtered by the propellers of the engines. A gruesome feast to say the least. «And to say that some of the species are protected in Europe,« Natalie Maspoli Taylor, Sea Shepherd’s director for Switzerland, tells us. «Then yes, it is true, every year in the Faroe Islands it is possible to kill a certain number of dolphins. Why, they say, it’s part of the tradition and why these animals are a source of food for the population».

Neither normal nor sustainable

What is striking is the number, 1,428 to be precise, but above all the way: the dolphins were led to shallow waters and subsequently slaughtered. «There had been many discussions - continues Maspoli Taylor - on whether or not to organize this hunt on Sunday. For one thing, because this species is not usually hunted and, for another, because the group was really big. Over one thousand four hundred specimens. In the past there have been other slaughters, up to eight hundred heads». But never before had there been such violence.

Maspoli Taylor lists data, numbers and facts with extreme clarity. There is also room, however, for emotions. Is it possible, we ask the director, that the Faroe Islands are unable to break away from such ancestral habits? «We understand that few, very few locals have raised their voices,« she replies. «We are talking about a small population, which is also very united. Similar events contribute to cohesion. Whoever dares to say something against Grindadráp risks having repercussions in terms of work and family relations. The emphasis is always on the concept of tradition, yet these meats are hardly eaten anymore. We can no longer speak of survival of the population, that’s it. The only player that can intervene, honestly, is the Danish government. These slaughters must be strictly forbidden».

On the subject of food and survival, our interviewer clarifies: «I have been to the Faroe Islands several times. You can find everything in the supermarkets. So, as I was saying, the idea of killing marine mammals in order to feed the population does not hold up. The main problem, shall we say, is that such traditions are handed down from generation to generation. At an event like the one on Sunday, even children are brought. Children who, well, already at an early age witness such scenes». And they consider it normal. «In the Faroe Islands, the younger generation grows up with certain beliefs. But killing dolphins is neither natural nor sustainable». There are people who live in remote places on the planet and have to kill seals or other animals to survive. But it’ s different here.

Intensive fishing

Whaling, we said, is still legal in the Faroe Islands. Although strictly regulated, it often escapes the control of the authorities. As on Sunday and, unfortunately, as in many other cases. « The meat of whales, to say, may not be sold but should be shared among hunters and their families. Instead, we are aware of incidents where the meat has actually been sold. There are so many inconsistencies. There are populations that live in remote places on the planet that, in order to survive, have to kill seals or other animals. But here it’s different. More, we are in the migration period and several females of dolphin are waiting. There is a photo where you can see a baby entrapped in the womb of the mother. In the face of such scenes, well, forgive me but there isn’t anything sustainable.»

We would like to launch a challenge to Natalie Maspoli Taylor: if the news has gained the front pages of the newspapers it is (also) because the dolphin, after all, is an animal to which we are all attached. Like the panda. Let’s think about movies and TV series that had as main character this whale. If other animals had been slaughtered, would the outrage have been the same? Again, how many other such events occur in our seas and oceans? And why aren’t they being talked about? Put the dolphins aside for a moment and focus on the problem of industrial and intensive fishing. A real issue that, unbelievably, is going almost under the radar if we exclude one documentary, Seaspiracy. « There is the problem of industrial fishing and there is the problem of illegal fishing. Sea Shepherd has been confronting these issues for years. And it has been raising awareness for years. We’re talking about the phenomena occurring out of sight and, reflexively, out of mind. But they concern all of us. That documentary, however, has had the desired effects. Many people have written to us, saying that they have immediately decided not to eat fish anymore. The seas are emptying. Over and over again. More and more».

Intensive fishing, in fact, is having a devastating impact on the marine ecosystem. «And you have no idea how many species get caught in nets and are then caught by mistake. Sharks, rays and so on. We’ve reached a kind of point of no return. We no longer have control over what is happening in Asia. And there are almost no fish left. Then, mind you: we’re all involved. So many of the intensive fishing vessels are European».

The sea is too vast

Given the vastness of the seas and oceans, controls are rare. Law enforcement actions, as a result, are not very effective. «In Liberia, together with local authorities, we stopped a Spanish-owned but Panamanian-flagged fishing boat some time ago. It had a regular license to fish for tuna, but there was a secret factory on board to produce shark oil.» Intensive and illegal fishing, among other things, kills small local fishermen. Those who, in other words, live off what the sea gives them. «Several African populations have found themselves without fish to eat,« notes Maspoli Taylor. «Without fish and, therefore, without work. Many Senegalese have been forced to emigrate for this very reason.»

A glimmer of hope, however, would appear to be there. The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently said that some endangered tuna species are returning to repopulating the seas. «I wouldn’t be so optimistic about tuna,« says Sea Shepherd’s director. «There are some species that, as mentioned, are virtually extinct. So much so that in Japan, where the dolphin is hunted just like in the Faroe Islands because it’s believed to eat too many fish and ruin the fishermen’s business, several producers have already started freezing some bluefin specimens because, once this species is really extinct, they’ll be able to resell them at million dollar prices. There is this great promise of the UN, which intends to protect at least 30% of the waters, but right now we can’t even reach 1%. The problem, I repeat, is very serious. More and more species of fish and more and more species of whales are facing extinction».

The fight goes on

The conclusion is both bitter and sweet. We ask Maspoli Taylor if, after so many years of struggling, a little bit of resignation doesn’t set in. «Actually no, the passion increases,« she confides. «I’ve been in the Faroe Islands and then in Japan, where dolphins are considered enemies of humans and where I as Sea Shepherd can no longer enter. On an emotional level, yes, such slaughters hurt and constitute a defeat. But, well, among young people there is always more sensitivity towards these issues. There is hope. There has to be. It always does. At the moment, it is clear that we are not in a good situation. But in our own small way, we have conquered a lot: in Liberia, for example, local fishermen have returned to fishing. And there are more fish than before. We are in a critical situation, and yet the oceans can recover easily and quickly. It will take, this yes, more political pressure and it will take more consciousness among citizens. Each of us, if only in the choice of foods to consume, can make a difference».