Hello everyone and welcome to Sea And Human.
Today we are going to talk about a very sensitive
subject although still valid today.
The question we are going to try to answer is,
under cover of tradition, can we tolerate
all the wildest and most barbaric rites... If I tell you that 1500km
from Paris, hundreds or even thousands, of cetaceans are killing each year? Should we
call it "tradition"? I will of course leave you free to judge for yourself.
But before answering this question let's try to know a little more...
The "Grind" - or how tradition is synonymous with murder
Faroe Islands: their history
These massacres take place in the Faroe Islands,
a small presentation of the region. This archipelago consists of 18 main islands
between Iceland, Scotland, and Norway. The Faroe Islands therefore are between
the North Atlantic Ocean and the Norwegian Sea. The archipelago was colonized in the 7th century
by Vikings who fled the tyranny of King of Harald 1st, king of Norway.
Part of the Kingdom of Norway until 1386, the Faroe Islands became
Danish in 1814 following the dissolution of the union between the Kingdom of Norway
and the one of Denmark. It was especially at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century that
the Faroe Islands experienced a national awakening with the preservation of their language, a cultural
and then governmental craze with the creation of the first political parties.
Following the Second World War, the Denmark gave
a great autonomy for the Faroe Islands. But it was in 2000 that the Faroe Islands proposed
a project of total independence, with their neighbor Danish. Total independence project?
Except for the currency which would remain the Danish krone. Denmark replied
that in the event of complete independence, the Faroe Islands would no longer receive
the annual financial assistance of 1 billion danish krone
and should repay their debt of 6 billion danish krone. Faced with this ultimatum,
the Faeroese government refused and canceled the referendum.
Four years later, a new referendum was voted in the Faroe Islands, and
the independence proponents gained with 50.72% of the votes. But Denmark refuses again to accept
the referendum. However, things may change in April 2018 as the Faroe Islands
will have a new referendum, and Denmark has promised to accept the result.
Faroe Islands, Denmark & EU: their relationship
49117, was the number of people in the Faroe Islands in 2016. And 3%, this is
the unemployment rate for about ten years, one of the lowest in Europe.
But this very low rate of unemployment is mainly due to the mass exodus of young Faroese
to Denmark rather than due to an healthy economy.
Economy which is based, mainly on the products from the marine environment.
Fishing, fish-breeding farms and the fitting out of small boats
are the main industries of this archipelago. This is why 94% of their products
exported are fish or fish products, and boats.
Their first import customer, is obviously Denmark with 38%, followed by
the United Kingdom with 29%. Finally, 10% of the Faroese GDP is due to
the annual financial aid from Denmark. The Faroe Islands, therefore,
have been since 1948, a Danish protectorate, enjoying a very great autonomy.
But what is this autonomy? Well, today the Faroe Islands have their own national anthem,
their own language and their own flag. The Faroese government,
called Løgting, is working with the Danish government on health care
and education. But today it is still Denmark that controls
the police, defense, foreign policy and currency.
Relations between the Faroe Islands and Europe date from Denmark's accession
to Europe in 1973. The Faeroes, then refused to enter the EEC, mainly because of
the common fisheries policy. The Danish archipelago felt that it was not in
their interest to be part of Europe, so the relations between the Faeroe and the European Union
are linked only by two bilateral agreements on free trade and
one policy on fisheries. Moreover, every people in the Faeroe Islands,
whether Faroese or Danish, who has a Faroese passport, is not
a citizen of the European Union. But, on the other hand, every Faroese who lives
in the Faeroe Islands has the possibility for applying for a Danish passport, thus becoming a citizen
of the European Union and access to all the facilities linked to the European agreements.
We understand it quite easily, the economy
of the Faroe Islands is closely linked to the Denmark and the European Union, whether through
annual financial aid or through the main export products. Similarly,
Denmark still controls the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
So to sum up, without Denmark and without the European Union,
the facilities that the Faeroe Islands have at the present time would be no more.
The Grind: Its History
The first description of this hunt dates back to the 16th century, although it is
more than likely that this hunt has been practice since the colonization of this archipelago
in order to feed the population of Vikings. In 1928, the Ministry of Public Health
announced that the consumption of dolphins and pilot whales was the only
source of animal protein for this archipelago. But for many years now,
the Faroe Islands no longer depend on these dolphins and pilot whales
to eat their needs of protein. Nevertheless, for 2 decades, this hunting
persists and nearly 1000 dolphins and pilot whales are slaughtered each year.
Traditionally, this hunting involved 5 stages: tracking, hunting, slaughtering,
dancing and distribution. But today, dance is no longer realized,
and this practice thus loses part of its authentic side of its traditional side.
You will understand, the word "Grind" is a diminutive of the word Grindadráp
meaning the slaughter of cetaceans. At that time, spotting required making a fire
to prevent that a group of cetaceans, also known as pod, has been spot.
In the same way, the conduct, or the hunt, was driven by
wooden boats and oars. This allowed the younger Vikings to show their strength
and power by successfully driving a pod to the beaches where the slaughter will take place.
But today, with our technical and technological means, much has changed.
The Grind: Nowadays
Nowadays, the Faroe Islands obviously benefit from the technological advances,
in order to make a Grind happen. Sonar, Radar, satellite imagery, helicopters, planes
and ferrys are used to locate a pod in a much easier way.
Also, in order to drive the animals to the beach, where they will be slaughtered,
they no longer use wooden boats and oars, but dual-engine boats,
rapid intervention boats and Jet-ski. Finally, in order to contact the coasts
and say where the pod in question is, they no longer use fires as before
but they use VHF radios, radios and satellite phones.
Even today, hunting can take a few minutes to several hours,
causing stress and panic for the cetaceans. Once the pod is spotted,
the Faroese boats are placed behind him, in a semi-circle and then fold the animals
to one of the beaches or preselected bays. Indeed, in the Faroe Islands,
only 23 beaches are currently allowed for the slaughter of animals.
When pilot whales or dolphins really feel stuck in
this little bay, some of them are trying to escape by the riverbank, where
they will eventually end up s' beach themselves. The others, further back, will be towed
and hoisted on the beach with hooks placed in the vent.
Until 2015, the slaughter could be carried out using traditional Faroese knives,
used only for Grinds. For many years, the Faeroes have been promising
fast and painless slaughter. In this sense, they created in 2011 a specific tool
designed to limit the suffering of the animal during the massacre.
Unfortunately they sometimes have to take it over several times to cut
the spinal cord of the pilot whale. Especially at the end of a grind that lasted several hours.
Despite the fact that only this tool is allowed for the killing of animals since 2015,
the participants in this massacre do not hesitate to use their traditional knife
as soon as the pod is more important than the number of these tools available.
Successfully cutting the spinal cord of a cetacean that can measure more than 6 meters long
and weigh up to 4 tons all thanks to a knife, can sometimes last
several tens of seconds or even several minutes, and thus cause
a excruciating suffering for the animal
These Grinds cause the death of
all captured animals. In those, including pregnant females and juveniles.
Once the pod has been decimated, the pilot whale flesh is cut and shared between
the villagers of where the Grind took place and the Grind's participants.
The Faroese continue to eat privately this pilot whale and dolphin meat.
But many restaurants also offer dishes for tourists
with this same animal pulpit.
Unfortunately, today, a large quantity
of this animal flesh is turned into flour for fish farms,
which are present in large numbers in the Faroes Islands. These fish farms therefore eat
their natural predator, which is completely aberrant. As a result, they ingest
the harmful elements present in this meat. These are the same fish that will eventually
end up in the stalls of your supermarkets or fishmongers.
In 2010, the organisation Sea Shepherd was present in the Faroe Islands to document
the progress of a Grind. The members of this organisation then discovered
real submarine mass graves, where pilot whales uncut were
in full decomposition. This is indisputable evidence that some Grinds only occur
for fun, and so that all pilot whale meat is not always
used or consumed.
The Grind: What is the impact on the ecosystem?
The main victim of these Grinds is
the black pilot whale of the North Atlantic. It is part of CMS Appendix 2
which means that the IUCN has determined that, although it is not
threatened with extinction, this species could become very quickly
if its hunting is not strictly controlled. There is currently
no validated scientific data on the estimated population of pilot whales
in the North Atlantic. But with all the current threats, such as these famous Grinds,
such as military sonars gill nets or trawling, biologists believe
that the population of pilot whales
could decrease by 30% over the next 3 generations.
These are all the reasons that led
Europe to add the pilot whale to the list of strictly protected species
in Appendix 2. And even if the Faroe Islands are not part of the European Union,
they remain, like we saw it previously, under Danish protectorate.
Denmark, for its part, has signed the Bonn and Berne Conventions on the protection
of migratory species and the conservation of Europe's wildlife. By not preventing
these massacres, and by endorsing them by sending police and boats
from the Danish navy, Denmark violates these conventions that he has yet signed.
Consuming pilot whale meat: what impact on the human body?
Because of their position as top predators in the North Atlantic
food chain, pilot whales therefore ingest large amounts of environmental pollutants.
Meat resulting from the killings contains high levels of heavy metals, such as
copper and lead, and very high levels of mercury.
In 2008, Pal Wiehe and Hogni Joensen, two prominent doctors in the Faroe Islands, reported
that the pilot whale meat contained too much mercury and was unfit
for human consumption. One study has shown mercury poisoning in several
local residents. Mercury poisoning causes damage
to the neurological development of fetuses, it also implies higher blood pressure and
impaired immune system in children. It also leads to increased
cases of Parkinson's disease, circulatory problems and increased risk
of infertility in adults. Feeding children with pilot whale meat
can be considered abuse, according to these 2 doctors.
Question not so stupid as that: How can we prevent these slaughters?
Well, that's an excellent question that the organisation Sea Shepherd has been trying
to answer by being there many times for more than 30 years.
This organisation, often controversial, is nevertheless the only one to want to act
concretely and directly to stop these slaughters. On a number of occasions, members of the organisation
have tried to intervene peacefully to prevent these Grind. After several
violent arrests that did not have the heavy consequences that the Faroese
wanted, their actions made it possible to highlight what happened
in this archipelago. The GrindStop campaign in 2014 had unexpected results,
as only 53 pilot whales died thanks to the intervention
of volunteers on the island. The year 2015 was less positive, although half of
the annual average quota could have been saved. Since the end of the 2015 campaign,
Faroese laws have hardened against volunteers and other members of organisations
wanting to prevent these Grind. To do this, new laws have emerged in the Faroe Islands.
The obligation for every person, including tourists, to warn
local authorities of any fin seen. The prohibition also to be
within 2km of the least Grind if we have not been authorized by the police.
In case of non-respect of the laws, severe fines and prison sentences
may be applied.
In addition, Sea Shepherd's ships
are prohibited from entering the territorial waters, and their volunteers
will be returned to customs in case of arrival. Sea Shepherd has attempted to initiate
legal proceedings against Denmark and the Faroe Islands with the Parliament and the European Commission.
Procedure that has been rejected by the European Commission recently despite
numerous photos and videos evidence, numerous testimonies, a petition signed more than 250,000 times
and the support of 27 members of the European Parliament. As a result,
no organisations has been present on this island for 2 years now.
Since the beginning of this year, nearly 1605 cetaceans have died
in this archipelago that seems untouchable.
What can we do to prevent this?
Well, first of all, let's start by sending
messages, emails and letters to the Danish embassy in your country
to show our will to stop these slaughters. I will also put
a standard letter in the description below this video and the sending details,
so that you can share your discontent.
In the same way, let's try to share the information to the greatest number.
Boycotting products from the Faroe Islands and Denmark will have the only impact sufficient
to be heard, that is, to touch the finances. The tourism industry is also targeted
by this boycott campaign by avoiding going to these two countries.
Ask our respective governments to report on the 8 million euros
in European subsidies (so with your money and mine) that affects
Denmark to protect its coastline and to respect the conventions of Bonn and Berne
that he violates cheerfully.
We are now at the end of this video. I hope that
it has informed you, that you will have learned a great deal, that you have become aware of
the importance of contacting the right institutions and making your voices heard.
If you liked this video, do not forget
to put some thumbs up, comment and share. This is the most important, because only you
can allow us to continue our videos and especially to improve them.
Take care of yourself, and I'll see you soon for new « Recif'Eau" episodes.
Reefly yours!
For more infomation >> Receta de camarones embrujados al mezcal y tocino | Cocineros Latinos - Duration: 7:24. 
For more infomation >> Receta de paella valenciana en solo 5 pasos | Cocineros Latinos - Duration: 14:26. 
For more infomation >> Détoxifier le corps avec de l'huile de coco éliminer les parasites,les virus,fongiques - Duration: 4:33. 
For more infomation >> Disfrases | Halloween no tan de terror | Series Network - Duration: 1:02. 
For more infomation >> Receta de torta de 3 leches de la chef Lorena García | Cocineros Latinos - Duration: 10:10. 
For more infomation >> Receta de arroz chaufa, hecho con sobrantes de comida | Cocineros Latinos - Duration: 4:07. 
For more infomation >> Jeux De guerre gratuis sur PC#2 - Duration: 3:55. 
For more infomation >> VIDÉO – Pepe Munoz le danseur chouchou de Céline Dion bientôt de retour - Duration: 2:00. 
For more infomation >> Ofrecen nuevas pistas sobre el futuro de 5 jugadores del FC Barcelona - Duration: 2:29. 
For more infomation >> Shadow Fight 2 #3 - Com 3% de vida é IMPOSSIVEL ganhar! SQN! - Duration: 18:46. 
For more infomation >> Grande Fratello Vip: nuovi rimproveri per Giulia De Lellis - Duration: 3:38. 
For more infomation >> Senado español aprueba intervención de autonomía catalana - Duration: 4:53. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét