What is Grindadráp and why is whaling in the Faroe Islands so controvesial

What is Grindadráp and why is whaling in the Faroe Islands so controvesial

Grindadráp is the local name for a yearly event that sees the people of the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago under Denmark, hunt long-finned pilot whales as well as other species of cetaceans such as bottlenose dolphins, white-sided dolphins and Risso’s dolphins. These species aren’t on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s list of endangered animals, but

Discovering the whales and dolphins of the Mediterranean Sea

Discovering the whales and dolphins of the Mediterranean Sea

“Blow at 2 o’clock!”, shouts a member of the research team onboard the motorsailer Pelagos. For five endless minutes everyone has been scanning the sea in a state of alert silence, looking for a white puff to indicate the blow of a male sperm whale coming to the surface to breathe and rest. The researchers

PCBs, the infamous chemicals keep harming the environment

PCBs, the infamous chemicals keep harming the environment

Polychlorinated biphenyls, commonly known as PCBs, are a group of highly toxic man-made chemicals introduced in the early twentieth century and quickly acclaimed as an industrial breakthrough. Like the pesticide DDT and herbicide Agent Orange, which were also once thought to be safe, PCBs have a dark side. They don’t break down easily and can