Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1982, Qupperneq 93

Grindatøl 1584—1640 og 1709—1978
101
SUMMARY
Statistics for the killing of pilot whales were collected from 1584—1640
and from 1709—1978. For the years 1641 —1708 there are practically no
statistics. The statistics for 1884—1903 and 1963—1978 have not previ-
ously been published, and in the statistics for the other years certain cor-
rections 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 years
between 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). Thc 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 °/o), in D,
August is by far the best month (51 °/o); 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 °/o of schools
and 74 °/o of whales have been killed at 6 sites. The sites have been col-
lected into four groups according to the direction from which the schools
have come, west, north, east, and south. Figs. 7 and 8 show the 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 %>). The annual average of the incidence of killings in the
north, east, and south, is about the same. The distribution of schools ac-
cording to size is shown in fig. 9 and table 4. Again D is outstanding, in
19 °/o of schools there are morc than 300 whales compared with 7—11 %>
in 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 advance-
ment (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 kill-
ings (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—