Campiagners have condemned the mass slaughter of dozens of whales which was witnessed by British cruise passengers in the Faroe Islands.
At least 77 pilot whales were murdered during a hunt on Sunday in Torshavn, the island nation’s capital.
A cluster of nearly 50 boats and a helicopter drove the large pod of whales towards a small beach where they were killed.
One horrified passenger described how “the sea was turned red”.
Dave Ward, 66, from Derby, said: “You could see the whales flapping about on the beach and in the water, then there was no movement… they were dead.”
He had gone whale watching along with other passengers aboard Ambiance, a ship of the UK’s nature-and eco-friendly Ambassador Cruise Line which was docked in Torshavn.
READ MORE: Horrific scene as sea turns red after hundreds of dolphins killed in hunt
The company works in partnership with whale conservation charity Orca and its two ocean experts were on deck at the time.
Abi Groome, of Orca, said: “There were 47 boats – and a helicopter. “They killed 77 whales, including nine calves, some so small they still had their foetal folds.
“They dragged them into shallow water on the beach, put a hook down their blowhole, pulled them out and used lances to half decapitate them.
“Quite a lot of teenagers were involved, women too. They tied the bodies to the back of their boats, dragged them across to the harbour and they were pulled out by cranes, which was when we counted them.”
Ms Groome was in tears as she tried to get the ship’s officers to steer people away from the view.
Others had walked to the beach and saw what happened from close up.
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Sally Hamilton, CEO of Orca, said: “The Faroese authorities need to decide whether this is the image it wants to present to tourists.
Figures show that this was the sixth “grind” of the season, which started in May, with Sunday’s kill adding to 570 pilot whales already slaughtered.
“We continue to educate guests and crew not to buy or eat any whale or dolphin meat and stand against any profiteering from commercial whaling and dolphin hunts.”
There are 23 designated “killing bays” in the Faroes, midway between Scotland and Iceland, with an average of 700 pilot whales killed each year although figures show that can top 1,000.
Dominic Dyer, Born Free’s policy advisor, said the conservation group condemns the continual mass killing of whales and dolphins on the Faroe Islands.
He added: “These highly intelligent marine mammals are being subject to an outdated, mindless and barbaric practice which would surely shock and disgust any right-minded person who was to witness it.
“As the largest single trading partner with the Faroe Islands Britain has a vital role to play in ending this senseless killing.
He urged the UK government to increase the economic pressure on the Faroese to end the whale and dolphin hunts for good.
The Faroese maintain that the hunt, known as grindadrap, is an important cultural tradition.
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The practice dates back to the 9th century and many Faroe Islanders consider eating whales to be an important part of their history.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International/UK, said: “”These hunts have a long cultural history, but cultures evolve and polling has shown that around half of Faroe Islanders believe that the hunts could end if their cultural and traditional relationship with whales could be preserved in other ways.
“We urge those taking part in the hunts to begin a new chapter in their centuries-long history with whales, stopping the killing out of respect for the protection these animals so urgently need from the many threats they face in our degraded oceans.”
Though pilot whales are protected under EU and UK law, the island’s autonomous status means it can set its own laws and rules.
Whale meat and blubber is often distributed among those who have participated in the killing and sold in restaurants to locals and tourists.
PETA’s Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen said: “Whole families are slaughtered, and some survivors are seen swimming around in their family members’ blood for hours.
“The prime minister of the Faroe Islands must impose an immediate ban on this sadistic violence against animals.”
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