COPENHAGEN, Sept 16 Reuters - The Faroe Islands said on Thursday it would review regulations that govern its centuries-old tradition of hunting dolphins after an outcry prompted by graphic footage of the slaughter of a record catch of hundreds.
More than 1,400 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were shot with boats and jet skis into shallow waters on Sunday, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society campaign group said.
The U.S. based organisation released footage showing people cutting some dolphins with knives and turning the water red. It described the hunt as brutal The Faroe Islands has defended its tradition - known in Faroese as the grind of Grindadrap - of shoring up pods of dolphins or whales and slaughtering them on beaches for decades.
However the Government of the North Atlantic archipelago said in a statement on Thursday that the latest catch was extraordinary due to the size of the pod and would look into regulations around the practice.
We take this matter very seriously. Although these hunts are considered durable, we will be looking closely at the dolphin hunts and what role they should play in the Faroese society, Prime Minister B rdur Steig Nielsen said.
Meat from the hunt is traditionally divided amongst the islanders.
Hogni Hoydal, leader of the opposition Republican Party and former fishery minister who co-created current whaling legislation, told Reuters that he got around 50 kilos of delicate and lean dolphin meat delivered to him on Monday.
My claim is that the Faroese whale and dolphin killing, as long as the population is not threatened, is probably the most sustainable use of natural resources we see in the modern world, Hoydal said.
. (Laughter) I do understand that some react to the number of slaughtered dolphins and that it is obviously a bloody affair, he added.
Around 4 - 5,000 residents have given their share of the catch, all gave away for free, Hoydal said.
On Sunday's catch was a record, the government said. On average, around 250 Floating Dolphins and 600 pilot whales are caught every year in Faroese waters, it added.