Grindatøl 1584—1640 og 1709—1978
Authors: Joensen Jákup Sverre , Zachariassen Petur 
Published: March 2024

Statistics for the killing of pilot whales were collected from 1584—1640 and frcm 1709—1978. For the years 1641 —1708 there are practically no statistics. The statistics for 1884—1903 and 1963—1978 have not previously been published, and in the statistics for the other ycars certain corrections have been made. Table 6 shows the statistics for the years 1584—1640.
For the years 1709—1978 the killings have been examined from various aspects, and divided up according to period, time of year, site of the killing, and the size of the school. Fig. 1 shows the number of schools and the number of individual whales for each year; in fig. 2 the same numbers are averaged, and here a tendency becomes apparent. There are 100—120 yearsbetween really good years. The years 1709—1978 are divided into five periods, A-E, in which each period is the consecutive number of years in which the number of schools and whales has been more or less at the same level. E is exceptionally good, A and C are good, D fairly good, and B exceptionally poor (table 1 and fig. 3). The distribution of schools in months and periods is shown in fig. 4 and table 2. A, C, and E resemble one another, with July and August as the best months (45—50 •/•), in D,August is by far the best month (51 %>); sudden changes occur from one year to the next, e. g. from 1962 to 1963 (fig. 5). The distribution of the killings according to sites is shown in fig. 6 and table 3, 67 %> of schools and 74 (l/o of whales have been killed at 6 sites. The sites have been collected into four groups according to the direction from which the schools have come, west, north, east, and south. Figs. 7 and 8 show thc distribution of killings in relation to these four groups, and the periods (A-E). There are many more schools in the west in D (57 °/o) in proportion to the other periods (17—32 'Vo). The annual average of the incidence of killings in the north, east, and south, is about the same. The distribution of schools according to sizc is shown in fig. 9 and table 4. Again D is outstanding, in 19 •/• of schools there are morc than 300 whales compared with 7—11 °/oin A, C, and E.
The factors which may possibly affect the incidence of whale-killings are considered. These factors are partly due to human beings, such as an increase in population, changes in occupation, and technological advancement (improved means of communication and the like), and partly to natural causes. There seems to be a correlation between climatic changes,particularly changes in the temperature of the sea, and the number of killings (fig. 10). Undoubtedly, it is the migration of the schools, rather than their size, which changes. Statistics from 1957—1976 (July—September) indicate a clear correlation between the number of killings and the surface temperature of the sea south-west of Faroe (figs. 11 and 12). From 1966—69 to 1970—74 there was a climatic change (amongst other things in the atmospheric pressure and the temperature of the sea), and in the living organisms in the sea (plant and animal plankton and the like) in the North Atlantic Ocean. At the same time a change in the statistics for whale-killings is seen; the years 1966—69 resemble the good period E, while the years 1970—74 are more like the fairly good period D.