Catches 2000 - 2024

The following tables provide an overview of catches and strandings of different whale species in the Faroe Islands in recent years. Data to 2011 have been compiled by the Faroese Museum of Natural History. Catch figures since 2012 are based on official catch reports submitted by district administrators and compiled by the Ministry of Fisheries. The catch records below do not include whales found stranded dead and not utilised. All Faroese catch and stranding data are reported annually to the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO). 

Annual records of drives and strandings of pilot whales and other small cetaceans in the Faroes date back to 1584. With the exception of very few historical periods for which records do not exist, these statistics provide over 400 years of documentation, representing one of the most comprehensive historical records of wildlife utilisation anywhere in the world.

* Figures latest updated July 2024

Table 1. Whale drives & strandings in the Faroe Islands 2000-2022 

 

Year     

Pilot whales

White-sided dolphins

Bottle-nosed dolphins

Risso’s dolphin

Bottlenose whales (strandings)

 

2000

588

265

 

 

3

 

2001

918

546

6

 

 

 

2002

626

773

18

 

6

 

2003

503

186

3

 

 

 

2004

1012

333

 

 

 

 

2005

302

312

 

 

1

 

2006

856

622

17

 

 

 

2007

633

 

 

 

3

 

2008

 

1

 

 

7

 

2009

310

170

1

3

2

 

2010

1107

14

 

21

 

 

2011

726

 

 

 

 

 

2012

713

 

 

 

2

 

2013

1104

430

 

 

 

 

2014

48

 

 

 

5

 

2015

501

 

 

 

2

 

2016

295

 

 

 

 

 

2017

1203

488

 

 

 

 

2018

624

256

 

 

5

 

2019

682

10

 

 

2

 

2020

530

35

 

 

11

 

2021

666

1423

 

 

 

 

2022

527

 

98

 

6

 

2023

897

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 2. Overview of individual whale drives & strandings 2008–2023 

 

Date

Location

Species

No

200808

Sandvík

Bottlenose whale

3

310808

Signabøur

White-sided dolphin

1

090908

Hvalba

Bottlenose whale

4

050109

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

99

100509

Hvannasund

White-sided dolphin

4

230509

Hvalvík

Long-finned pilot whale

188

230509

Hvalvík

White-sided dolphin

14

230509

Hvalvík

Bottlenosed dolphin

1

220809

Øravík

White-sided dolphin

141

230809

Hvalba

Bottlenose whale

2

270809

Fámjin

White-sided dolphin

11

050909

Gøta

Long-finned pilot whale

23

160909

Klaksvík

Risso’s dolphin

3

130410

Hvalba

Risso’s dolphin

21

050610

Sandur

Long-finned pilot whale

69

240610

Vestmanna

Long-finned pilot whale

59

020710

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

17

080710

Húsavík

Long-finned pilot whale

169

090710

Húsavík

Long-finned pilot whale

24

190710

Klaksvík

Long-finned pilot whale

228

230710

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

108

050810

Leynar

Long-finned pilot whale

73

300810

Hvalba

White-sided dolphin

14

090910

Miðvágur

Long-finned pilot whale

103

140910

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

33

220910

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

67

041010

Vestmanna

Long-finned pilot whale

21

111110

Viðvík

Long-finned pilot whale

62

151110

Vágur

Long-finned pilot whale

74

090211

Vestmanna

Long-finned pilot whale

41

070411

Vestmanna

Long-finned pilot whale

58

280511

Syðrugøta

Long-finned pilot whale

204

020911

Vestmanna

Long-finned pilot whale

75

080911

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

28

131111

Funningsfjørður

Long-finned pilot whale

169

181111

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

49 

201111

Trongisvágur

Long-finned pilot whale

21

221111

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

81

160512

Trongisvágur

Long-finned pilot whale

62

050612

Sandur

Long-finned pilot whale

125

090812

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

32

190812

Tjørnuvík

Long-finned pilot whale

61

240812

Hvalba

Long-finned pilot whale

70

300812

Sandvík

Bottlenose whale

2

180912

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

21

230912

Vestmanna

Long-finned pilot whale

27

241012

Hvalba

Long-finned pilot whale

36

241112

Fuglafjørður

Long-finned pilot whale

40

271112

Hvalba

Long-finned pilot whale

2

210713

Viðvík

Long-finned pilot whale

125

300713

Fuglafjørður

Long-finned pilot whale

267

080813

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

107

110813

Leynar

Long-finned pilot whale

21

130813

Húsavík

Long-finned pilot whale

135

130813

Hvalba

White-sided dolphin

430

270813

Hvalvík/Streymnes

Long-finned pilot whale

51

060913

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

50

220913

Streymnes

Long-finned pilot whale

120

101013

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

108

011113

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

86

141113

Vestmanna

Long-finned pilot whale

34

180514

Fuglafjørður

Long-finned pilot whale

13

280814

Hvalba

Bottlenose whale

5

300814

Sandur

Long-finned pilot whale

35

060615

Miðvágur

Long-finned pilot whale

154

290615

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

22

230715

Bøur

Long-finned pilot whale

111

230715

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

142

090815

Sandvík

Bottlenose whale

2

120815

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

61

301115

Fuglafjørður

Long-finned pilot whale

11

060716

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

43

260716

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

135

260816

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

9

280816

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

67

071116

Leynar

Long-finned pilot whale

41

210517

Long-finned pilot whale

83

160617

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

164

160617

Skálabotnur

White-sided dolphin

8

260617

Hvalvík

Long-finned pilot whale

208

260617

Hvalvík

White-sided dolphin

51

290617

Tjørnuvík

Long-finned pilot whale

43

050717

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

70

080717

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

71

090717

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

26

100717

Skálabotnur

Long-finned pilot whale

2

160717

Vágur

Long-finned pilot whale

42

160717

Vágur

White-sided dolphin

12

170717

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

191

250717

Syðrugøta

White-sided dolphin

16

050817

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

40

050817

Hvannasund

White-sided dolphin

1

050817

Funningsfirði

White-sided dolphin

133

150817

Fámjin

Long-finned pilot whale

50

180817

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

61

200817

Borðoyarvík

Long-finned pilot whale

27

210817

Skálafirði

White-sided dolphin

48

220817

Húsavík

Long-finned pilot whale

19

290817

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

46

010917

Long-finned pilot whale

29

250917

Skálabotnur

White-sided dolphin

219

291017

Skálabotnur

Long-finned pilot whale

86

220518

Syðrugøta

Long-finned pilot whale

145

080618

Hvalvík

White-sided dolphin

11

140618

Sandur

Long-finned pilot whale

4

300618

Borðoyarvík

Long-finned pilot whale

26

240718

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

51

300718

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

135

300718

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

38

310718

Húsavík

White-sided dolphin

23

160818

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

87

160818

Hvannasund

White-sided dolphin

12

210818

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

75

220818

Miðvágur

Bottlenose whale

1

290818

Hvalba

Bottlenose whale

4

110918

Hvalvík

White-sided dolphin

210

160918

Norðragøtu

Long-finned pilot whale

12

210918

Syðrugøtu

Long-finned pilot whale

51

010119

Trongisvágur

Long-finned pilot whale

70

260419

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

105

090519

Hvalba

Long-finned pilot whale

36

120519

Long-finned pilot whale

45

290519

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

145

040619

Fuglafirði

Long-finned pilot whale

21

230619

Leynum

Long-finned pilot whale

25

020819

Hvalvík

Long-finned pilot whale

23

260819

Froðba

Bottlenose whale

2

270819

Vestmanna

Long-finned pilot whale

98

090919

Tvøroyri

Long-finned pilot whale

49

280919

Sandvík

Long-finned pilot whale

4

091019

Miðvágur

White-sided dolphin

1

060620

Long-finned pilot whale

19

150720

Hvalba

Long-finned pilot whale

252

150720

Hvalba

White-sided dolphin

35

300720

Sandur

Long-finned pilot whale

193

170820

Sandvík

Bottlenose whale

6

190820

Hvalba

Bottlenose whale

5

161020

Streymnesi

Long-finned pilot whale

66

280421

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

10

290521

Tórshavn

Long-finned pilot whale

22

270621

Leynar

Long-finned pilot whale

51

270621

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

123

070721

Sandavágur

Long-finned pilot whale

77

080721

Hvalba

Long-finned pilot whale

136

010821

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

38

100821

Klaksvík

Long-finned pilot whale

38

100821

Skálafirði

Long-finned pilot whale

24

160821

Leynum

Long-finned pilot whale

38

010921

Leynum

Long-finned pilot whale

57

120921

Skálafirði

White-sided dolphin

1423

220921

Kollafirði

Long-finned pilot whale

52

070522

Sandagerð

Long-finned pilot whale

63

240522

Vágur

Long-finned pilot whale

119

290622

Sandur

Long-finned pilot whale

101

290722

Skálafirði

Bottlenose dolphin

98

140822

Hvalba

Bottlenose whale

3

160822

Hvalba

Bottlenose whale

3

170922

Gøtu

Long-finned pilot whale

19

121022

Sandagerð

Long-finned pilot whale

225

080523

Kollafirði

Long-finned pilot whale

12

150523

Klaksvík

Long-finned pilot whale

48

060623

Miðvágur

Long-finned pilot whale

63

140623

Vestmanna

Long-finned pilot whale

266

140623

Leynum

Long-finned pilot whale

179

090723

Sandagerð

Long-finned pilot whale

78

240723

Tvøroyri

Long-finned pilot whale

156

170823

Hvannasundi

Long-finned pilot whale

44

190823

Hvalvík

Long-finned pilot whale

8

260823

Hvannasundi

White-sided dolphin

5

040923

Hvannasund

White-sided dolphin

5

220923

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

42

040524

Klaksvík

Long-finned pilot whale

40

010624

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

138

280624

Hvannasund

Long-finned pilot whale

233