The practice of dolphin hunting in the Faroe Islands has come under scrutiny after more than 1,400 of the mammals were killed in what was believed to be a record catch.
The pod of white-sided dolphins was driven into the largest fjord in the North Atlantic territory on Sunday.
Boats herded them into shallow waters at Skalabotnur beach in Eysturoy, where they were killed with knives.
The carcases were pulled ashore and distributed to locals for consumption.
Footage of the hunt shows dolphins thrashing around in waters turned red with blood as hundreds of people watch on from the beach.
Known as the grind (or Grindadrap in Faroese), the hunting of sea mammals – primarily whales – is a tradition that has been practised for hundreds of years on the remote Faroe Islands.
The Faroese government says about 600 pilot whales are caught every year on average. White-sided dolphins are caught in lower numbers, such as 35 in 2020 and 10 in 2019.
Supporters say whaling is a sustainable way of gathering food from nature and an important part of their cultural identity. Animal rights activists have long disagreed, deeming the slaughter cruel and unnecessary.
“It was a big mistake,” said Mr Sjurdarberg, who did not participate in the hunt. “When the pod was found, they estimated it to be only 200 dolphins.”
Only when the killing process started did they find out the true size of the pod, he said.
“Somebody should have known better,” he said. “Most people are in shock about what happened.”
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