1991. Geraldo Rivera’s Now It Can Be Told program investigates the 1000 year old Faroese tradition of the annual whale hunt. This segment starts with a recent incident on Cape Cod, where good samaritans and organizations helped rescue a pod of pilot whales. We then move on to an in-depth expose of the grindadrap process in the Faroe Islands, where locals are interested in pilot whales for exactly the opposite reason. This traditional custom may make their viking ancestors proud, but does it fit with the 21st century?
We meet principals who condemn the practice, and also travel on the water with locals who have been participating for 45 years. The detail about grindadrap in this process is essential for anyone wishing to understand.
Whale killing in this way remains controversial, though the participants have made attempts to use modern humane methods in their hunt. There are no relevant laws relating to the pilot whales and grindadrap tradition remains in some Faroe Islands communities.