Faroe Islands · North Atlantic · Active Operation
Entire Pods
Slaughtered
Pilot whales and dolphins are still driven into the shallows and killed in the Faroe Islands. Sea Shepherd crews are there to document every hunt they can reach.
- Pilot whales and dolphins killed in 2026 so far
- 831
- Grinds in 2026 so far
- 4
- Dolphins killed in a single day, May 2026
- 700+
Sea Shepherd / The Crisis
What Is the Grindadrap
The grind is a drive hunt. Whole pods of pilot whales and white-sided dolphins are chased into bays and killed on the beach.
For centuries the grindadrap has cast a dark shadow over the Faroe Islands. It is defended as tradition, yet it is now widely condemned for its cruelty and its harm to the ocean.
Sea Shepherd has opposed the grind since 1983 and has kept a physical presence in the islands for decades. Today our crews document each hunt, put the evidence in front of police, lawmakers and the press, and push for lasting change alongside a coalition of dedicated groups.
Graphic contentThe film and the evidence gallery on this page show the hunts as our crews recorded them.
Sea Shepherd / The Hunt
How a Grind Works
- 01
The drive
Boats form a line behind a pod and herd it for miles toward a designated killing bay.
- 02
The killing beach
Stranded in the shallows, the animals are hooked, dragged and killed while the rest of the pod watches.
- 03
Whole families
Entire pods die together, including pregnant females, calves and unborn young.
- 04
Dolphins too
Atlantic white-sided dolphins are killed in the same way, sometimes by the hundreds in a single day.
- 05
Toxic meat
In 2008 the Faroes' own chief medical officer advised that pilot whale meat was no longer fit to eat because of mercury and other pollutants.
- 06
Shielded by law
In May 2026 the Faroese parliament voted 28 to 0 to let hunting rules override the Animal Welfare Act, in one of the bloodiest weeks in years.
Sea Shepherd / The Toll
The Cost in Lives
The killing has not slowed. Every year whole pods are lost, young and old together.
2025 · Grinds
10grinds
in 2025, killing more than 1,000 pilot whales and white-sided dolphins.
2025 · The young
173+
juveniles and fetuses among the dead in 2025, documented by our crews.
2021 · Skalabotnur
1,428
white-sided dolphins killed in one day, the largest single hunt on record.
Kill counts are reported by the hunters. 2026 totals as of September 7, 2026 (Stop the Grind). Juvenile and fetus counts from Sea Shepherd field documentation.
Sea Shepherd / On the Ground
What Our Crews Do
Our teams work the islands through the hunting season, so no grind goes unseen.
Document every hunt
Photographers and videographers record each grind they can reach, from the drive to the beach.
Evidence for police
Our footage goes to Faroese authorities when hunters break their own rules, and it has led to charges.
Telling the story
Interviews, films and news coverage carry what happens in the bays to people around the world.
Pressure abroad
Evidence from the islands backs advocacy in Europe and the UK for stronger accountability.
Sea Shepherd / Results
Building the Case
Footage from our crews is starting to carry legal weight, and the hunters have noticed.
-
2024 Evidence
27hours
that surviving whales were left in the shallows after a grind of 138 pilot whales, all of it on our crew's video.
-
2025 Faroese police
1st
criminal charges ever filed against grind whalers, built on that footage. Foremen in the northern islands suspended hunts in response.
-
2026 May 27
2crew
arrested for documenting a day of hunts that killed more than 700 dolphins.
-
2026 This seasonNow
831
pilot whales and dolphins killed in four grinds so far this year. Our crews document every one they can reach.
1983the year Sea Shepherd first stood against the grind
Sea Shepherd in the Faroes
Sea Shepherd / The Evidence
Documentation From the Field
Graphic content. Tap a photo to see it full size.
Sea Shepherd / Faroe Islands
Keep Our Crews in the Faroes
Every season our teams travel to the islands to document the grind and get the evidence in front of police, lawmakers and the press. Your gift keeps them there.
1st criminal charges against grind whalers, 2025
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