A New Global Coalition

📁 Archive Document — Historical Record

This article was first published when our charity's original name/branding as 'Sea Shepherd UK' prior to our name change on 18th May 2023 following the removal of Captain Paul Watson from Sea Shepherd entities worldwide (with the exception of the UK, France and Brazil).

Captain Paul Watson remains a member of our Board, and our charity continues to uphold its founding principles of non-violent direct action marine conservation.

This article and its contents are the property of the 'Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK' and forms part of our 21 year history.

Learn more at paulwatsonfoundation.uk/new-name

The Captain Paul Watson Foundation UK and impact consultancy Shared Planet today launched a global multi-stakeholder coalition called Stop the Grind, demanding an end to the Faroe Islands' whale and dolphin slaughter known as the 'grind'. The coalition will serve as a platform for all like-minded organisations and individuals concerned about the grind to work together to pressure the Faroese government towards a ban.

Stop the Grind is being launched in the wake of the recent Faroe Islands hunt on 12th September that saw the killing of 1,428 white-sided dolphins — thought to be the biggest organised killing of dolphins on record. The mission of Stop the Grind is to pressure the Faroe Islands government to ban all grind hunting of both dolphins and pilot whales (a species of dolphin). The Faroese government is in the process of reviewing the regulation around the grindadráp. The coalition is arguing that — despite its cultural and historical importance in the Faroe Islands — the grind hunt is cruel, environmentally unsustainable, poorly regulated, violates European and Faroese animal welfare standards, and is highly damaging to the health of the Faroese themselves due to the toxic levels of mercury in dolphin and whale meat. The coalition will drive a sustained international media and advocacy campaign, using the latest scientific evidence to support policy change and an end to the grind hunt.

"Beyond the shocking cruelty of the grind, there are other very serious and concerning issues. It appears to be a largely unregulated hunt with no quotas, no season, and seemingly little or no oversight and governance. At a time when we are watching the collapse of ecosystems, particularly worryingly so in our oceans, we cannot treat important species this way. I have joined the Stop the Grind coalition to tell the Faroese government that enough is enough, and it is time for the grind to end." — Deborah Meaden, business leader and British TV personality

The first act of the coalition is to submit a response to the Faroe Islands government's consultation on the dolphin hunt, by sending an open letter to the Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands urging him to ban the grind. The letter calls on the Faroese government to consign its grind tradition "to the pages of history books and to displays in museums" and to "forge a new positive cultural relationship with cetaceans and the ocean." The group argues that there is a significant economic opportunity in dolphin and whale conservation and restoration, and that a ban of the grind would be a "win-win for the local health of the people, the tourist economy, and for the preservation of cetacean species of the Atlantic."

The Stop the Grind campaign has grown rapidly over the last week and includes 30 coalition partner organisations and over 5,600 individuals. It continues to grow daily as it reaches out to businesses, NGOs, nature campaigners and TV presenters, and politicians internationally. Coalition members include Chris Packham, Steve Backshall, Deborah Meaden, Ben Goldsmith, Peter Egan, Seaspiracy director Ali Tabrizi, Dale Vince OBE, Ross McCall, and environmentally-focused NGOs such as Sea Shepherd, OceansAsia, the Conservative Environment Network, the People's Trust for Endangered Species, Born Free, British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Blue Marine Foundation, Blue Planet Society, and a number of Members of the European Parliament (Grace O'Sullivan MEP, Tiziana Beghin MEP, Martin Buschmann MEP, Sylwia Spurek MEP, Jutta Paulus MEP, Petras Auštrevičius MEP, and Ville Niinistö MEP) who have been active in pressing for European-level action on the issue in Brussels.

"The annual slaughter of white-sided dolphins and pilot whales on the Faroe Islands has always been an inhumane modern spectacle disguised as cultural heritage. This year in particular, the grindadráp resulted in unprecedented killing and cruelty which has shocked the world, including the Faroese and Danish people. These beautiful animals play a key role in our marine ecosystems and should be left alone, full stop. Together with the Stop the Grind coalition and many of my colleagues and fellow MEPs, we are calling on the EU, the UK, the Faroese government and all those with a stake in protecting these vulnerable cetaceans to put an end to the pointless slaughter." — Grace O'Sullivan, Greens/EFA MEP for Ireland South

In addition to the open letter to the Faroese Prime Minister, the coalition is supporting the Dominic Dyer petition to the UK Parliament to introduce trade sanctions against the Faroe Islands government until they stop the grind — a petition which has already gathered over 40,000 signatures. The coalition will shortly deliver another open letter, prepared for the Prime Minister and members of the UK government, which has already gathered over 5,500 signatures. The coalition will call for the UK government to take action on the grind issue, given its COP26 leadership and the pending global climate conference in Glasgow later this month. The coalition will also support the protest against Faroe Islands and Japanese whaling planned for 16th October at Trafalgar Square.

"I have joined the Stop the Grind coalition because we have to come together to do something to stop this cruel and unacceptable practice. Whilst appreciating the cultural and historical significance to the Faroese people, they must recognise the widespread international concern and close this chapter in their history. This is critical to protecting the precious species of dolphins and whales in the Atlantic." — Chris Packham, naturalist and TV presenter

About #StopTheGrind

The Stop the Grind coalition is a global movement of organisations and individuals working together towards a ban of the grindadráp dolphin and whale hunts by the Faroe Islands. The #StopTheGrind campaign is a multi-year initiative that will include a variety of advocacy activities intended to generate sustained pressure on the Faroese government. The coalition includes 30 coalition partner organisations and individuals from all regions globally. For more information, visit: www.stopthegrind.org.