Official newsletter of the WCW
#14 December 2001 - Faroe Islands Issue
WCW 2002 "Whaling for the Future"
A welcome from the Chairman of the Faroese Pilot Whalers Assoc.
WCW 2002 "Whaling for the Future"
The WCW Secretariat is pleased to announce that our next assembly, with the theme "Whaling for the Future" will be held in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, from September 25th to September 29th 2002.
The Faroe Islands are located in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Norway. Since 820 AD the Faroese pilot whale drive fishery has been an integral part of Faroese life.
A day trip to Klaksvik (a community on a neighbouring island) is being arranged by the Pilot Whalers Association. A workshop on flensing, food handling and storage, and scientific research sampling will be held at Klaksvik.
The assembly banquet will feature an international selection of whale dishes. Chefs from the Faroe Islands and other countries using whale meat and other whale products will make this event educational and memorable.
WCW extends its sincere appreciation to the Faroe Islands Government and the Faroese Pilot Whalers Association for this gracious invitation.
A welcome from the Chairman of the Faroese Pilot Whalers Assoc.
As the Chairman of the Faroese Pilot Whalers Association (PWA), which represents some 1000 pilot whalers, I would like of extend a warm invitation to you all to attend the 4th Assembly of the World Council of Whalers (WCW) to be convened in Tórshavn, the Faroe Islands, from the 25 - 29 September 2002.
The Faroe Islands, one of the smallest nations in the world, are unique amongst whaling communities. Here, despite no-one having "whaler" as their occupation, nor there being any such thing as a "whaling boat," we represent one of the largest whaling communities found anywhere in the world.
We have the oldest records of annual catches of whales, which began in 1584 and continue through until today. These records provide us with long-term data showing, amongst other things, regular periodic fluctuations in the occurrence of whales landed in the Faroes. Data from these records, with such a long time-frame, are important for the management of our ecosystem, having served to underpin scientific research related to changes in sea temperature and the shifting abundance of squid.
We are unique in that each household in the Faroes has access to a free-share of the meat and blubber when whales are landed in their nearest whaling bay. In Klaksvík, about eighteen months ago 198 whales were taken in a grind with approximately 10,000 people getting a free share. In villages and districts where households have not often received a share of the catch, such as Tórshavn the capital where the population is too large for each household to get a share of the catch, we have developed a new system for the distribution of meat and blubber. When supplies become available from Tórshavn or from other districts where supplies are already plentiful, shares are distributed to residents according to an alphabetical list.
Our whaling practices are dynamic and change to accommodate the need of the growing communities they support. Despite our whaling being a centuries old tradition it sits comfortably within our modern society with its large fishing industry and burgeoning oil developments.
It is because of our unique customary practices and our dynamic ways of dealing with new situations that we are sure we have things other communities can learn from during the WCW Assembly. Likewise, we are keen to listen and learn from the experiences of other whaling communities and to build stronger alliances through our membership of the WCW.
In addition to sharing our skills and experiences we look forward to sharing our meat and blubber and the other numerous delights of our small islands with all of you. I look forward to seeing you in the Faroe Island in September 2002.
Ólavur Sjúrdaberg
Just as there are new developments in the centuries old distribution systems for the meat and blubber of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands so too are there new developments in the technology used in the grind.
The Dimmalætting reported in December 2001 that earlier in the year a new pilot whaling knife (grindaknív) was designed and made in the Faroes by Kristian Glerfloss, and is currently being tested by veterinarian Jústines Olsen.
The knife is 33 cm long and has a short blade of approximately 8 cm resembling the shape of a large arrow. It has a two-handed gripping handle designed to give the user more control of the knife during the kill of beached pilot whales. The new design is also thought to be a safer design for the pilot whalers to use in specific conditions. This year there were two accidents involving traditional pilot whaling knives.
So far during tests in controlled conditions the knife has reduced the killing time quite dramatically. Tests have shown that the new knife can kill the whale in two seconds compared with thirty seconds using the traditional pilot whaling knife.
The pilot whalers who have used the knife so far as part of the tests all say it is an excellent device and look forward to its introduction into the hunt.
"The new pilot whaling knife should be seen as an addition to our tool kit rather than a replacement of the traditional knife," says Hans-Jakob Hermansen, Secretary of the Faroese Pilot Whalers Association.
"It is always good to see new tools introduced to the grind to provide the pilot whalers with a selection of tools to use in the various circumstances they find themselves in," he said.
The new knife will be one of the many things discussed at this year's WCW Assembly.