Charlie Moores talks with Nicola Hodgins, Policy Manager at WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation). about the Grind – the killing of Pilot Whales and dolphins in the Faroe Islands.

Our conversation was triggered of course by the unprecedented mass killing of more than 1400 Atlantic White-sided Dolphins by Faroese hunters on September 12th, and the disturbing and heartbreaking images that have gone around the world. 

The Faroese themselves seemed shocked by the scale of the killing, and reaction here in the UK has been profound – disgust, outrage, and a determination to do something – anything – to stop these hunts in their tracks. Petitions have been launched, boycotts of Faeroe-caught fish suggested – yet just a few days later another Grind took place and another 53 Pilot Whales killed. 

Nicola has been working on the Grind for many years and as she says in this interview, much as we might want a quick fix, there really isn’t one simple answer, and that it will be a combination of approaches – including dialogue with the Faroese themselves – that will finally stop these hunts for good.

• Whale and Dolphin Conservation Website 
•  Whale and Dolphin Conservation  Twitter feed and Facebook page
• Petition (Gov.uk website)  Suspend trade agreement with Faroe Islands until all whale & dolphin hunts end 
• The Guardian (Sept 14th) Outcry over killing of almost 1,500 dolphins on Faroe Islands