The Faroe Islands - Message from the Sea

A few hundred miles southeast of Iceland, 50,000 descendants of Vikings live on a string of craggy islands called the Faroes. For more than 1,000 years, the people here have hunted pilot whales, and whale meat continues to be an important part of their diet. But when pictures of whale hunts first appeared in the media during the 1980s, many from the outside world were shocked and animal rights activists mounted an anti-whaling campaign. The protests eventually abated, partly because the Faroese are not involved in commercial whaling. Yet, the islanders now face a new threat to their way of life: A landmark 20-year study of Faroese children has found that high levels of methyl mercury and other contaminants in the whale meat are harmful to a child’s neurological development. FRONTLINE/World reporter Serene Fang explores how the study’s findings have rubbed against deeply held traditions in this beautiful and remote part of the world.

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/faroe605/