Grindadrap

For centuries the hunting of the Pilot whale has been an important food source and intricate part of Faroese culture.

The Pilot whale is not like other whale species and are very numerous, upwards of a million roam the seas and the Faroese might catch 600 or so a year. Once spotted out in open water the fishing boats herd and drive the pod towards the nearest shallow bay, by which time hundereds of locals have gathered to help with the cull. I have heard of policeman, nurses, dentists all downing tools to help bring the whales onto the beach and sever the main artery, bringing a quick a relatively painless death to the whale.

The meat, I believe is not sold for commercial gain but shared out amongst the poor, rich, fisherman, hospitals and schools.

I have not experienced one first hand, but would like to - so can only go by the description from the locals I have met. The process of killing the whales turns the water in the bay red, however everything is cleaned up quickly and the government limit the number of "Grinds" per year to avoid wastage.

Right or wrong - not for me to comment but an important part of the Faroese culture.

If you are interested in finding out more you should visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_the_Faroe_Islands a fairly non biased description of the whole process.