Current Events: The Faroe Islands’ Annual Whale Hunt

Content Warning: The news article linked in this post contains graphic images of whale hunting and processing.

This summer, the annual whale hunt on the Faroe Islands received global attention from animal rights activists questioning the need for this centuries old tradition to continue. An independent territory of Denmark, the Faroe Islands is a small group of islands that sits in a remote North Atlantic location about halfway between Norway and Iceland. Despite being a part of Denmark, its autonomous government structure means that it is not bound to EU hunting restrictions on these whales.

The global controversy surrounding this hunt repeats narratives of animal cruelty that have been projected onto people living in the Arctic and subarctic for decades (the 2016 film Angry Inuk explores the Inuit seal hunt in the aftermath of a similar animal rights campaign). As an alternative perspective, it may be worth “zooming out” on the factors that contribute to food systems in remote places such as the Faroe Islands. It is easy to dismiss the hunt as unnecessary in today’s global food system, but I would challenge readers to think critically about what makes a food system sustainable and resilient. What does a local diet look like in a small group of subarctic rocky islands? Are we willing to suspend our personal beliefs and objectively consider this particular food source for this particular people? Are we willing to accept that the Faroese people may know better than we do what sustainable food means in their unique part of the world?

As addressing climate change becomes more and more important, and countries like Denmark invest more heavily in sustainable energy, people all over the world are seeking out innovative ways of curbing emissions. When it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, 2016 data shows that the Faroe Islands have the second lowest emissions per capita in the world. The award for lowest carbon dioxide emissions per capita goes to Greenland, another autonomous territory of Denmark. Denmark itself? It is sitting somewhere around 160th place. I wonder what lessons might be learned from including more Faroese and Greenlandic perspectives into conversations about climate change, food security, and food sovereignty.

I’ll close off with links to two music videos. The first is Mamaqtuq by The Jerry Cans, my favorite Arctic party band. Mamaqtuq means “it’s tasty” in Inuktitut. The second is Björk’s Declare Independence. This song has a strong anti-colonial message and, in the video, Björk and the other performers are wearing Greenlandic and Faroese flag patches on their sleeves.