Horror as sea turns red after ‘cruel’ slaughter of 156 dolphins in Faroe Islands

More than 150 dolphins have been slaughtered in the Faroe Islands in the latest gruesome killing of the animals.

The sea turned red at a bay in the archipelago 200 miles north of Scotland when the 156 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were killed at Skálabotnur on Saturday.

Rob Read, chief operating officer of the Paul Watson Foundation UK, said: “The grindadráp aside, the Faroese are a modern and wealthy society. 

“There is no need for ‘free’ food to feed their community and today’s killing will not result in supermarkets stocking less food. 

“Once again tradition is simply being used as an excuse, much the same as in other nations who have used tradition as an excuse for things such as fox hunting and bull fighting.”

Almost a year ago, 1,428 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were killed at the same beach.

The Faroese themselves have taken to social media, questioning the wisdom of killing Atlantic white-sided dolphins.

Tóta Árnadóttir said: “I believe the overall joy from them would be much greater if we, who live by the fjord, could watch them.”

Atlantic white-sided dolphins have only formed part of the grindadráp since 1992. 

They are more agile and swift than the long-finned pilot whales traditionally hunted and the ability to hunt them today results solely from improvements to boats, which offer more power, speed and manoeuvrability than traditional Faroese vessels.

The Faroe Islands are a self-governing archipelago forming part of the Kingdom of Denmark in the North Atlantic between Norway and Iceland. 

The grindadráp, often referred to as the grind, usually kills hundreds of pilot whales every year and was traditionally a vital food source for the Faroese people.

Faroese are fiercely defensive of the hunt which is an important part of their culture and traditions. 

Whale meat and blubber remain a popular dish despite concerns about the high levels of mercury.