Posts by George Berry
100 bottlenose dolphins hunted in Faroe Islands
This morning, (July 29th), 100 bottlenose dolphins were killed in Skálafjörður on the Faroe Islands. The hunt comes just weeks after the Faroe Islands government, despite both national and international outrage, allowed the killing of 500 dolphins a year. The dolphins were kept in the bay for several hours before the entire group was slaughtered. According…
Read MoreFin whales return to old feeding grounds in Southern Ocean
An exciting discovery by researchers in the waters around Antarctica suggest that fin whales are starting to return to their former feeding grounds. During the first part of the 20th century, commercial whaling decimated whale numbers in the region as whalers reduced populations to a fraction of their original figure. By the time it become…
Read MorePregnant pilot whales die in Faroe Islands hunt
Sixty three long-finned pilot whales were driven onto a beach and brutally killed over the weekend in the first hunt of the year in the Faroe Islands. The hunt took place at Sandágerði in the capital Tórshavn. Several of the whales were pregnant females. The infamous drive hunts take place every year with several hundred…
Read MoreRiver dolphins observed playing with anaconda
Researchers in Bolivia recorded an unusual interaction between local rivers dolphins and an anaconda snake last year in the Tijamuchi river. The two species would not normally interact but on this occasion a group of dolphins, some of which appeared to be juveniles, were seen carrying the snake through the water. At times the dolphins…
Read MoreDolphin pens identified at Russian naval base
Analysis of satellite imagery suggests that Russia may be using military dolphins at its naval base at Sevastopol in the Black Sea. Sea pens used to hold the dolphins have been identified near the entrance to the harbor. Tasks carried out by the dolphins may include searching for objects and patrolling local waters. The US…
Read MoreBeluga whale Kairo dies at Oceanogràfic València
A marine park in Spain has announced the death of one of the beluga whales it holds in captivity. Valencia’s Oceanografic released a statement that the male whale called Kairo had died after 20 years being held at the park. He was brought to the park from the Mar de Plata aquarium in Argentina. It…
Read MoreNorwegian whalers kill first minke whale of the season
Sadly, Norwegian whalers have killed the first minke whale this season. The whale was caught on Monday by the whaling ship Kato off the Finnmark coast. According to skipper Dag Myklebust, the whale was eight meters (26 feet) long and weighed around 1,700 kilograms (~3750 lbs). In February, we reported that Bjørnar Skjæran, Norway’s new…
Read MoreAnother beluga whale dies at Mystic Aquarium
Just six months after the loss of a whale called Havok, another beluga has died at the Mystic Aquarium in the Connecticut. Both belugas had been transported to the Mystic Aquarium from Marineland in Ontario, Canada in May 2021, along with three other individuals. The facility reported on its Facebook page that the female beluga,…
Read MoreFaroese Aquaculture Association calls for ban on dolphin hunts
The Faroese Aquaculture Association has joined calls for the country’s prime minister to ban dolphin hunting, following the terrible events last September when 1,423 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were killed in local waters. In a press release, the Association highlights the negative impact that criticism around the hunts has had on local businesses, which are very…
Read MoreMinister casts doubt over future of whaling in Iceland
Cruel hunts could end in 12 months Following three years with no whaling in Iceland, the country’s Fisheries Minister has cast doubt over the return of the cruel hunts. In an article published by local news outlet Morgunblaðið, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, Iceland’s Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries said that there is now little justification for…
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