On Thursday, Ambassador Cruise Line confirmed that passengers aboard the ship Ambition arrived in the Faroe Islands while a traditional hunt resulted in the killing of dozens of whales.

The cruise line expressed its apologies to the passengers affected by the incident. During their visit, a total of 78 pilot whales, which are considered one of the largest members of the dolphin family, were killed in the port area on Sunday.

Whale and dolphin hunting is a regulated and customary practice in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing and semi-autonomous region under Denmark, CBS News reports.

The local government views the pilot whale hunt, also known as “grind,” as an ancient and integral part of Faroese food culture.

“We strongly oppose this outdated practice and have been collaborating with our partner, ORCA, a marine conservation charity dedicated to studying and protecting whales, dolphins, and porpoises in UK and European waters, to promote change since 2021,” stated a spokesperson for the cruise line.

The region faced significant backlash in 2021 when over 1,400 dolphins were killed. At the time, the chairman of the Faroese Whalers Association explained to the BBC that while the number of dolphins killed was excessive, it was unintentional.

Written by staff