Whale hunt
 25. Mar 2020
Whale hunts shrinking in size and frequency

The number of whale hunts is on a steady decline and they are also becoming smaller. Last year’s hunts yielded about 200 tonnes of meat and 180 tonnes of blubber.

 

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On average, there have been about ten pilot whale hunts annually over the past five years.

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The Norðoyggjar region has had the highest number of whale hunts in the past five years.

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The trend is similar with regards to the number of whales killed in the past five years, with Norðoyggjar leading the way.

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In terms of the number of whales killed relative to the local population in each region, Vágar leads the way, followed by Norðstreymur and Norðoyggjar.

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The long-term trend shows a gradual decrease in whale hunts, especially over the past 50 years.

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This trend becomes even clearer when looking into the number of whales killed, with a steady downward path for every year since 1950.

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The number of whale hunts is on a decline, and the number of whales per hunt even more so. The reason is that the whale hunts are becoming smaller, as the number of whales per hunt has been on a steady decline every year since 1950.

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All tables (Statbank)