Faroe Islands Hunters Kill Over 700 Porpoises in One Day During Annual Traditional Grind Hunt

Beaches in the Faroe Islands turned bright red after hunters killed over 700 porpoises in one day during the annual grindagrap, or grind. The single-day total included 406 animals killed in Torshavn, the capital, and surpassed more than two-thirds of the 1,000 marine mammals taken across the islands in all of 2025, according to Sea Shepherd.

The hunt followed the customary method of herding Atlantic dolphins and pilot whales into shallow bays with hooks before driving them to shore and killing them one by one.

Com reported that the 2026 event reached a scale described as unprecedented in modern times. Hunters faced a shortage of spinal lances, which are required under Danish rules for killing dolphins. Participants instead used whaling knives and other tools, Sea Shepherd stated.

The group said multiple animals were killed with knives only, leaving them stressed for an extended period before bleeding to death. Sea Shepherd also reported that a lack of equipment and participants caused some dolphins to be crushed against rocks, driven over, or cut by boat propellers.

Spinal lances are designed to sever the spinal cord and major blood vessels quickly, producing rapid unconsciousness and death.

The tradition dates to the Nordic settlement of the islands in the 9th and 10th centuries. In Faroese culture, pilot whales and dolphins are regarded as a renewable food resource. The Faroe Islands are an autonomous territory of Denmark located in the North Sea.

Sea Shepherd crews said they face possible deportation for documenting the hunts. Whaling knives were also used during the 2021 grind, according to Ocean Fare.