Source: Whales And Whaling in The Faroe Islands. Published by The Faroe Islands Department of Fisheries, 1993

Dividing the Catch - A Free Share For All

Pilot whaling is not a commercial undertaking. No part of any catch is exported or subject to any kind of factory processing. Schools of pilot whales taken in the Faroe Islands are divided, largely without the exchange of money, among the participants in the drive and local residents in the whaling bays and districts.

How widely a catch can be divided depends on the number of whales, and the size of the local population. In the capital, Torshavn, for example, a catch today is only divided among those who actually take part in the drive. The population of the capital is too large, but in other whaling districts in the Faroe Islands anyone registered with the sheriff at the time of the catch will be entitled to a share of meat and blubber.

It is the custom in most districts to allot a free share of meat and blubber to the local hospitals and other institutions such as nursing homes and daycare centres. The district sheriff may also decide to auction some of the catch to cover the cost of any damages that may have occurred during the drive, such as damage boats or lost equipment.

Unlike in the many small locations outside the capital and on other islands, not everyone in Torshavn has a member of the family or close friend who takes part in the occasional whale drive, so there are some people who never receive a free share. Unfortunately for them, the only way to get a meal of whale meat an blubber is by buying it. In Torshavn, a small amount of private shares is sold to the local food stores, so it is not unusual to see whale meat and blubber for sale in teh supermarket, at cheaper prices than beef and lamb.

This is only a tiny percentage of the total yield of catches in the Faroe Islands, but has become necessary to meet the demand for it in the capital. The vast majority of any catch is divided free according to the customary system of sharing in each whaling district. The one share per resident system common in most locations tends to favour large, low-income families.

People receiving shares collect their meat and blubber themselves. Faroe Islanders are familiar with the sight of a dead animal killed for food, whether it be a whale, a sheep or a cow, and many people are used to doing some of their own butchering. When shares of whale meat and blubber are collected, they are cut in a customary and systematic way, both to get the most out of the whale and so as not to spoil anyone else's share form the same carcass.

Children often help their parents to collect their meat and blubber. After a drive, children can usually always be seen displaying their natural curiosity for these large marine mammals. They like to collect whale teeth, and enjoy examining the various parts of the whale, although they are discouraged from interfering too much with the carcasses.

Most Faroese children have not been alientated from the processes of local food production, and their close contact with the dead whales after a drive is considered to be a natural part of their education and understanding of the source of their food. From an early age they begin to learn the techniques involved from watching the adults, and so gain an understanding of the importance of cooperation and organisation which make for a successful whale drive and an efficient distribution of the catch.

Scientific findings have shown that up to 54% of a pilot whale is used for human consumption, (compared with 47% of a fish) and this also compares favourably with the percentage of other mammals used for food. The remaining 46% consists of the head, intestined, organs, skeleton, flippers, and tail. Some of the intestines are also used for bait in coastal fishing.