Hare hunting in the Faroe Islands

The hare population currently found in the Faroe Islands belongs to the snow hare species (Lepus timidus), also known as the mountain hare or blue hare. This species is also native to Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, and Siberia, with smaller populations in the Alps and on the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

The snow hare was first introduced to the Faroe Islands in 1855 by the Danish prefect Carl Emil Dahlerup, who believed that hares would be a valuable addition to the Faroese diet. Dahlerup purchased five young hares from the Kragerø region in Norway and arranged for their transport to the islands. During the journey, one hare was lost, and the remaining four were released in the Hornabø region of Tórshavn.

The hares cost Dahlerup 5 rix-dollars (Danish silver coin) and 32 shillings.

The hares thrived and were subsequently transported to all the other islands except Koltur, Stóra Dímun, and Lítla Dímun.

A few years after the species was introduced, organized hunts began. The first law regulating hare hunting dates back to 1881. At that time, hunting was permitted for 136 days each year, starting on October 1st and ending on February 14th. However, this was considered too long a season. In 1928, the hunting season was reduced to 92 days, running from November 1st to January 31st. It was further shortened in 1945 to 60 days, from November 1st to December 31st, which remains the regulation today. The shorter hunting season is intended to ensure the hare population continues to thrive.

The colour of hares changes with the seasons. In the summer, they are brownish in colour, and in the winter, they are grayish. In the pictures, two hares can be seen. The picture on the right was taken on May 19 of a hare in its summer coat. The picture on the left was taken on December 7 of a hare in its winter coat.

Hare hunting has thus been a Faroese tradition for approximately 150 years. Unlike fish and whale catches, which have been meticulously recorded over the years, there has been no consistent record-keeping of the number of hares hunted. No Faroese government official has assumed responsibility for tracking this data. Recognizing this gap, Eyðfinn Magnussen began documenting hare hunting in 2012. He initiated this effort through the Facebook group “Haruskjóting í Føroyum” (Hare Hunting in the Faroe Islands), where hunters could voluntarily report the number of hares they had shot. The results were surprising: in 2012, no fewer than 5,381 hares were reported as hunted, with the actual number likely exceeding 7,000 due to the voluntary nature of reporting. In comparison, records for 2015 and 2016 show that 4,012 and 2,950 hares were hunted, respectively. Eyðfinn has also launched the website haran.fo, where you can track the hunts.

The right to hunt hares is tied to land ownership. Individuals can acquire this right either through auctions or by negotiating directly with the farmer who owns the land. Prices fluctuate based on economic conditions—during prosperous times, interest in hare hunting increases, causing prices to skyrocket.