Catches
Records of the drive exist in part since 1584, and continuously from 1709—the longest period of time for statistics existing for any wild animal harvest in the world.
The catch is divided into shares known in Faroese as a skinn, which is an age-old measurement value that derives from agricultural practices. One skinn equals 38 kg of whale meat plus 34 kg of blubber: in total 72 kg.
| Period | Drives | Whales | Skinn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1709–1950 | 1,195 | 178,259 | 1,360,160 | |
| Period | Drives | Whales | Skinn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–1960 | 122 | 18,772 | 99,102 |
| 1961–1970 | 130 | 15,784 | 79,588 |
| 1971–1980 | 85 | 11,311 | 69,026 |
| 1981–1990 | 176 | 18,806 | 108,714 |
| 1991–2000 | 101 | 9,212 | 66,284 | |
| Period | Drives | Whales | Skinn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 11 | 918 | 7,447 |
| 2002 | 10 | 626 | 4,263 |
| 2003 | 5 | 503 | 3,968 |
| 2004 | 9 | 1,010 | 8,276 |
| 2005 | 6 | 302 | 2,194 |
| 2006 | 11 | 856 | 6,615 |
| 2007 | 10 | 633 | 5,522 |
| 2008 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2009 | 3 | 310 | |
| 2010 | 16 | 1107 | |
| 2011 | 10 | 726 |
The Faroe Island Statistical office published the official numbers for the 2009 drive hunt. The statistics show that a total of 310 pilot whales, 174 whitebeaked dolphins, two bottlenose whales and one bottlenose dolphin were killed in three separate grinds.
- Long-term annual average catch 1709–1999: 850
- Annual average catch 1900–1999: 1,225
- Annual average catch 1980–1999: 1,511
- Annual average catch 1990–1999: 956
Read more about this topic: Whaling In The Faroe Islands
Famous quotes containing the word catches:
“All catches alight
At the spread of spring:
Birds crazed with flight
Branches that fling
Leaves up to the light”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“When the city gate catches fire, it’s the fish in the moat who suffer.”
—Chinese proverb.
“Processions that lack high stilts have nothing that catches the eye.
What if my great-granddad had a pair that were twenty foot high,
And mine were but fifteen foot, no modern stalks upon higher,
Some rogue of the world stole them to patch up a fence or a fire.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)