Faroe Islands introduces new rules for annual dolphin hunt

(CNN) – The government of the Faroe Islands is setting a limit of 500 dolphins for the island’s annual traditional hunt.

The yearly whale cull is a traditional practice dating back to the first settlement of the islands by Vikings in 800 CE.

Animal rights organizations have condemned the annual cull.

Last year, some 1,400 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were corralled by jet skis and speed boats before being forced into shallow waters, where they beached, the conservation group Sea Shepherd said.

The government released a statement on the September 2021 hunt after announcing its decision Sunday.

“It has been acknowledged that aspects of that catch were not satisfactory, in particular the unusually large number of dolphins killed,” the statement reads.

Faroe Island officials said the meat provides food for the local community.

The Faroe Islands are made up of 18 islands halfway between Iceland and Scotland in the Atlantic Ocean. They are a territory of Denmark.

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