Of all the dolphin species, it is said that the bonding in the Pilot whales is one of the strongest ever seen, heard, or documented. A pod of Pilot whales tend to follow a leader, or a "pilot," (which is believed to be the reason for the common English name given to the species). When a leader is ill, hurt, or beached, the other members of the pod will stay close by and have continued reluctance to leave their family member. In addition, in 1964 William Schevill reported that when hauling a dead short-finned Pilot whale on board his vessel, he and his colleagues "heard and recorded loud squeals from another that loitered near the boat until the victim was on board, whereupon the survivor stopped calling and rejoined the now distant herd."
This bond, while inspiring, increases the threat of death to Pilot whales. It is very common for fisherman or hunters to prey on the other members of a pod while the "pilot" or another member is beached, injured, or dying. In fact, some fishermen will injure one member purposefully in order to ensure a larger catch of Pilot whales. Officially "whaling," which includes the hunting of Pilot whales, was regulated in the early 1970's reducing the number of whales being slaughtered, butchered, and sold. However, there is a place where the practice of hunting Pilot whales is alive and thriving - killing thousands of whales each year.
The Faeroes are a group of Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located about halfway between Iceland and Scotland, these islands are currently under the jurisdiction of Denmark but enjoy a semi-independent status. A majority of the population of the Faeroes islands are descendants of ninth-century Norwegian settlers. The livelihood of these islands is totally dependent upon the commercial fishing businesses that flourish on 18 of the islands. Unfortunately, one of the most common preys of the Faeroes fishing industry is the Pilot whales.
The practice on the Faeroes Islands is not much different from the above mentioned. As these islands are a common breading and feeding ground for both long and short-finned Pilot whales, the inhabitants of the islands have hunted, killed, fed, and sold the meant and skin of the Pilot whales for hundreds of years. The hunt, known as "grindadrap," takes place mainly in the summer months and has changed very little in exhibition, style, or substance during the centuries of its practice. However, the development of technology has now made locating and herding the pods of Pilot whales much easier and faster.
