A real issue that, unbelievably, is going almost under the radar if we exclude one documentary, Seaspiracy. Sea Shepherd has been confronting these issues for years.
And it has been raising awareness for years. 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. Sharks, rays and so on. We no longer have control over what is happening in Asia. And there are almost no fish left.
So many of the intensive fishing vessels are European». Given the vastness of the seas and oceans, controls are rare. Law enforcement actions, as a result, are not very effective. It had a regular license to fish for tuna, but there was a secret factory on board to produce shark oil. Those who, in other words, live off what the sea gives them. 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. The problem, I repeat, is very serious. More and more species of fish and more and more species of whales are facing extinction». The conclusion is both bitter and sweet. Sunday's hunt was no different, as international conservation groups rounded on the hunters to condemn the killing.
But the scale of the killing at Skalabotnur beach has shocked many locals and even drawn criticism from groups involved in the practice.
Bjarni Mikkelsen, a marine biologist from the Faroe Islands, put the reported death toll into perspective. He said records showed that this was the largest number of dolphins ever killed on one day in the Faroe Islands, a autonomous territory of Denmark.
He said the previous record was 1, in The next-largest catches were in , in , and in , Mr Mikkelsen said. Only when the killing process started did they find out the true size of the pod, he said. Even so, according to Mr Sjurdarberg, the catch was approved by the local authorities and no laws were broken. Such hunts are regulated in the Faroe Islands. They are non-commercial and are organised on a community level, often spontaneously when someone spots a pod of the mammals.
To take part, hunters must have an official training certificate that qualifies them to kill the animals. He visited Skalabotnur beach to speak to locals on Monday. Still, he defended the hunt, which he said was "humane" if done in the right way. Each year, islanders drive herds of the mammals — chiefly pilot whales — into shallow waters, where they are stabbed to death.
A blow-hole hook is used to secure the beached whales and their spine and main artery leading to the brain are severed with knives. The drives are regulated by laws and the meat and blubber are shared on a community basis. Sections U. Science Technology Business U. As the population in the island has gone up so did the need for food, he added.
Based on this fact alone, this hunt and this tradition might be nearing an end, according to Rostol. There are many people now, together with you who oppose, this unnecessary violence towards these animals. There are many companies and organizations that fight and urge people to boycott especially the Faroese salmon production which is one of the main export products of the island, Rostol noted.
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