Reply With QuoteApperently the towns have been twinned for 20 years...so why is the whaling an issue now ? why twin in the first place as whaling is a key part of Faroes culture, if its unacceptable now it was unacceptable 20 years ago...surely ???
1K.Orger
Stooshie between Wick and Foaroes town Klasvick
stooshie buiilding up between Wick and Faroes over whaling read http://www.scotsman.com/news/environ...ling-1-3864520
Mayor Skorheim, Mayor of Klaksvik in a terse response, said: “It disappoints me to hear that you don’t support us in our right to conduct whaling, seeing as it is indeed a part of the Faroese culture. We don’t understand the alliance of friendship as if it gives you the right to dictate what we should and should not do in our country.“Your arguments don’t have much value in our opinion. It is a Faroese tradition. Whaling has been a sustainable resource of food to the Faroese population for centuries. It is a natural part of life in the Faroe Islands, Klaksvik included.”
He added: “You call the whaling cruel. Faroese law states that the whales are to be killed as quickly as possible to minimise any suffering. Only those who have a legally required authorisation are permitted to kill. The whales in question live a free and natural life until the time of the whale drive. “This is more that we can say about most animals that end up as meat in supermarkets all over the world. We urge you to improve your knowledge.”
1K.Orger
Apperently the towns have been twinned for 20 years...so why is the whaling an issue now ? why twin in the first place as whaling is a key part of Faroes culture, if its unacceptable now it was unacceptable 20 years ago...surely ???
1K.Orger
Quite right- that's far too cold to be a council free holiday destination.
Did we vote on this?
1K.Orger
No idea... first I knew we were twinned with the place....vote ? thats a good point, again first I heard of the decision to untwin was in the paper decision taken by a few counicillors and civic leader Gail Ross...better hope that the Faroes dont dig to deep into recent situations making headlines in WIck...or pot calling kettle b.....will be heard. Sounds like a publicity stunt to me why now, why not before if it bothered them that much ?
1K.Orger
If you ever visit Broughty Ferry Castle, there is a whole section on whaling, something I never go near. There was a big whaling industry in Dundee in the 19th and very early 20th century. Personally I am ashamed of it, but you can't erase history. What can be done is do not associate with Countries that still carry out whaling. I have no idea what the protocol for twinning with another city, but it might have been prudent to check them out first.
1K.Orger
Im no fan either, watched a TV programme on whaling recently...horrific mass automated industrial slaughter....Wick and Faroes...why was the twinning not checked out years ago ?? Faroes do not practise automated industrial slaughter...what they do is differnet but still repugnant, I think tey are saying what they do is no different than slaughtering animals for supermarkets..something like that...obviously theyre not very happy over the situation of de twinning
1K.Orger
Anything to do with animals being hunted or hurt in anyway and the television goes off, I have never watched a nature programme in my life. I am not a vegetarian, but there are certain things I wont eat either, like venison, and since moving here, lamb. The thing is, if everybody turned vegetarian over night, the farmers would have no use for their livestock so the end result would be the same. I was a bit out with my dates for whaling in Dundee, it goes back to the 1750's, so the powers that be in Wick twenty years ago must have been aware that they carried out this barbaric act.
1K.Orger
Its a very well known part of Faroes culture, up there its a family event a bit like a gala !! Times change and what was accepted 20 years ago when WIck was first twinned is obviously unacceptable now....but why now...why not 5 / 10 years ago. The activity was obviousy fully accpetable until very recently so whats changed as the people objecting have been in situ these past 5 years ??
Last edited by rob murray; 21-Aug-15 at 14:55.
1K.Orger
To me, that is absolutely horrific, I am probably a bit over sensitive but I would not have a Disney film in the house (long story involving Bambi!) my children were adults before they saw one !!Originally Posted by rob murray
The other problem is, these people are teaching their children that it is perfecly acceptable what they are doing, it is learned behaviour going back generations.
There must be Council elections coming up, and that's why they have changed their tune now.
1K.Orger
Yes it a long standing Faroes tradition going back over a millenium, they do it for food not for fun....see https://gaasedal.wordpress.com/2014/...indadrap-fail/ Faroese explanations into why the practise called grindadráp” is acceptable to them, they make some interesting arguements..is there not a touch of hypocricy here...Im a meat eater...they eat pilot whales...both are killed for people to eat whats the difference apart from we kill behind closed doors they kill in the open sea ??? My view is I would personally be sickened wacthing the kills but I would be sickened in a slaughter house to...maybe Im the hypocrite being a meat eater, maybe we are all hypocrites if we eat meat .There are also bigger elections coming up !!
1K.Orger
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Last edited by rob murray; 21-Aug-15 at 16:20. Reason: not applicable
1K.Orger
Perhaps Mrs Ross our civic leader can contact Paul Monaghan who is vice chairman of the all party parliamentary group on Japan to pass on her concerns on whaling perhaps break off diplomatic relationships, as whats good for the goose is good for the gander. Japan continues to kill whales and sell the meat from its hunts, despite the ban (moratorium) on commercial whaling. Japan's whalers have recently been able to exploit a loophole in the founding treaty of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which allows whaling for 'scientific research'. However, as of 31st March 2014, the UN's International Court of Justice has ordered it to stop whaling in Antarctica and that its so-called 'scientific whaling' is not compatible with the ICRW, the rulings of the IWC, or international law. The Japanese hunts are the biggest single slaughter of whales and dolphins in the world involving drive and hand-held harpoon hunts, and small type coastal whaling operations. The Faroe Islands drive hunt is not subject to any legal restrictions as it targets small species of whales (mainly pilot whales and some dolphin species) that the International Whaling Commission does not currently manage
Given this why go at a soft target...the Faroes ???
Last edited by rob murray; 21-Aug-15 at 16:27.
1K.Orger
What about seal culls, stag shooting, grouse shooting....all acceptable eh...the more I think about this Faroese carry on the more the situation gets totally hypoctrical, seals feel no pain, shot stags feel no pain, shot grouse feel no pain....whales do when being slaughetered and so does seals, grouse and stags so wheres the difference except grouse / stag shooting is an economic contribution to Scotland creating jobs based on killing...
1K.Orger
It doesn't seem like a good way to attract Faroese business to Wick or Caithness.
1K.Orger
I stopped at a hotel recently just for coffee, got speaking to the owner, who was telling me how most of the people they get at the hotel are deer stalkers and that her husband and sons take these "people" out, amazingly I think they went to college to enable them to do this. I left the hotel rather quickly.
While I realise people eat meat, that's fine so do I, but I certainly do not make a sport out of killing the animal first, how people can kill these beautiful animals for fun is beyond me.
1K.Orger
I can't bring myself to read this, but here you go, all you need to know - http://www.deerstalkingscotland.co.uk/
1K.Orger
In Ness in Lewis they still go out every year to Sulasgeir which is a rocky outcrop about 40 miles north of Lewis to kill and salt 2000 young gannets - they call them guga.
This is a link to a programme about it www.bbc.co.uk/.../the_guga_hunters_of_ness_creating_the_programme... .
19 Jan 2011 - Every August, ten men from Ness set sail for Sula Sgeir, a desolate island far out in the Atlantic. Following in the footsteps of countless .
They have been slated by many countries for carrying out this 'tradition' but they have been allowed to continue due to it being a tradition of the area.
Fowl, fish and salt - not quite to my taste but many folk turn their noses up at salt herring, each to their own.
.Orger
The deer have no natural predators and hence their number needs to be controlled. It should be done by a qualified marksman in my view (a keeper) but I do not have a problem with the meat then being eaten. If done properly, the animal knows nothing about it unlike in a slaughter house where, almost certainly, some of the animals do suspect something.
Now, if the Eurasian lynx and European wolf were to be re-introduced to the Scottish Highlands, the number of deer (and animals considered by some to be 'vermin' such as foxes) would probably be controlled naturally and a more balanced ecosystem might emerge. However, I remain to be convinced that the death of a prey animal by a predator is less stressful for it than being cleanly shot. The Natural History films that deal with this aspect of Nature are usually very hard to watch.
1K.Orger
To a certain extent, I understand I suppose why the number of Deer has to be controlled, although there is so much space here. As I said though I cannot understand how anybody takes pleasure in killing an animal. As for the reintroduction of Wolves and Lynx here, I do'nt agree with it, and I am positive farmers wouldn't either. I would have to move, I let my cats out. Like you Fulmar I do'nt want a nature programme on my doorstep, I cannot watch these programmes. To be fair, I cannot understand why farmers (where I live) don't look after their sheep, they are all over the place on the main road and everything.
.Orger
Much ado about nothing IMHO.
Whaling is to the Faroes as normal as blacking up and parading the streets is to a Wicker.
You don't see the good Faroe folk going and complaining about the Wickers racism do you?
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