Whaling has a been a hot conservation topic for decades, reaching far outside scientific circles to prompt parliamentary debates and become the focus of Oscar-nominated documentaries. Initially it was concern for the precipitous decline of whale stocks and the ability of the International Whaling Com-mission to manage them that resulted in the infamous moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. In the decades that followed the science improved and whale stocks began to recover, yet the ban on commercial whaling remained as issues of sustainability became overshadowed by arguments over animal welfare and necessity.
Indeed public and political opinion over whaling activities is now passionately divided. In one corner there are those who believe the sustainable hunting of whales is a legitimate form of fishing and in many cases fundamental to the cultural identity of coastal communities. In the other there are those who regard whaling as a barbarous activity, unnecessary in a modern world.
Since the 1980s the traditional hunting of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands—the grindadráp—has been a campaign focus for international animal rights and environmental organizations. Opposition has been fierce, with the anti-whaling movement condemning the way whales are slaughtered, the sustainability of the hunt and its management, and the cultural and economic justification for what they consider a gruesome tradition.
This book explores the arguments made by the anti-whaling organizations in opposition of pilot whaling, balancing their claims against the reality of the modern grindadráp. How-ever, in doing this Kerins' goal is not to support or denounce either side of the argument but simply to allow readers to consider the grindadráp in its proper historical, economic and cultural context.
The book begins with a overview of whaling and the philosophy of anti-whaling protests. Whilst there are entire books devoted to these subjects, this chapter, written from a social science perspective, offers up fresh opinions on the motivations of the anti-whaling movement. I readily suggest this chapter as recommended reading to anyone interested in the debate on whaling.
The following two chapters set the scene of the study and are essentially an extended introduction and methodology. Here Kerins provides a meticulous account of his experience of modern day life in the Faroes, and in doing so begins the book's aim of describing the context of the grindadráp. This is followed by a chapter outlining the study's theoretical framework and, although I found this rather wordy and too long, it demonstrates Kerins' diligence in this study.
Suitably briefed by first three chapters, I found myself absorbed by the fourth: a long and detailed history of pilot whaling in the Faroes. To me this was probably the most important section of the book as it runs through the introduction of whaling to the islands and how the institution that is the grindadráp has developed over the past thousand years. Through this well-referenced historical narrative the importance of hunting pilot whales becomes clear, initially as a resource and in time as a centrepiece of cultural identify.
Here too Kerins narrates the development of property rights, whaling legislation and an increasingly sophisticated management framework that has been in place in one form or another for over 500 years. I was surprised to learn that detailed records of pilot whale hunts began in 1584 and continue today, offering what must be one of the longest continuous records of wildlife exploitation available.
Throughout the first four chapters Kerins makes only fleeting references to the pilot whale hunt itself. Instead these chapters carefully build the context and the history of the hunt, treating the issue with complete objectivity. It is only in the fifth chapter that the grindadráp is finally described at length and in meticulous detail. Whether this structuring is intentional or not, I am certain I would have felt differently about the hunt if I had read this chapter first without the cultural understanding gained through the preceding chapters.
Ultimately I felt this was the purpose of the book. It is not a glossy commentary on whaling but a sociological description of Faroese resource use. While I admit that didn't find it an easy read, there is no doubt that this book provides a comprehensive and carefully researched thesis on Faroese pilot whaling.
