Samuel Rostøl - The Grind: Whaling in the Faroe Islands - S02 E11

Earlier this year Norwegian born Samuel Rostøl decided to leave mainstream employment as a nurse so that he could focus all of his available time on supporting animal activism.   Soon thereafter, Samuel was invited to join Sea Shepherd in the Faroe Islands as they documented the annual Grindadrop or Pilot Whale hunts.  His footage has shone an even brighter light on the islands and albeit he casts an imposing figure, Samuel's approach to activism is far from that which most would assume.  During this episode Samuel explains the Grind, the animosity, violence and threats to kill and also the silent support and the reasons behind the reluctance of locals wishing the Grind to halt.

On Sunday 12th September the Grind slaughtered 1,428 Atlantic White-sided Dolphins. Albeit this podcast is predominantly non-political I feel the need to include such activity to assist in creating a global response for the betterment of the animals involved.

Samuel's social media links:

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If like me you feel that Samuel's work is invaluable then please join me and show your support  on his Patreon page:  https://www.patreon.com/samrostol

Finally, this episode is also available to watch on the Scuba GOAT YouTube channel, make sure you hit subscribe to keep up to date with the next release. 

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:40 Samuel goes full-time activist
• 3:50 Journey to the Faroe Islands
• 6:56 Objectives whilst on location
• 8:35 What is a Grindadrop?
• 11:25 What is it's purpose?
• 12:25 The White-Sided Dolphin Grind
• 12:55 Fisherman disposing of unborn Pilot Whales
• 14:15 Pilot Whale population and life cycle
• 16:10 Faroese reception towards activists and Sea Shepherd
• 17:50 Dealing with threats and violence
• 22:25 Local support and the enforced silence
• 24:39 Political pressure
• 26:00 Financial aspects to the Grind and the Islands economy
• 29:10 Waste disposal
• 35:30 Grind Foremen
• 40:00 The effects of a hunt and being involved
• 43:24 Numbing the emotion
• 45:04 Samuels opinion on the future of the Grind
• 48:20 Catch to population figures
• 53:50 Health advisors warn islanders not to eat the catch - High levels of mercury
• 58:30 What's next for Samuel
• 1:05:35 Banter about Samuel's fall during Sea Shepherd interview
• 1:08:00 The Norweigian Whale hunting
• 1:09:00 Samuel's links and financial support
• 1:14:22 Finish