Seismic surveys and other activities associated with 

 offshore oil and gas exploration and development may affect 

 the movement and behavior of bowhead whales, thereby forcing 

 Alaska Eskimo whalers to travel greater distances during the 

 fall hunt. This in turn may increase the risk that those 

 engaged in the hunt may be injured or killed or be unable to 

 return portions of the catch to their villages. Therefore, 

 in 1986, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and certain 

 companies engaged in oil and gas activities on Alaska's North 

 Slope entered into a cooperative agreement for the fall 1986 

 hunt whereby the industry participants agreed to: (1) attempt 

 to tow caught whales to a suitable butchering site to prevent 

 meat from spoiling (if an industry vessel was available near 

 the kill site) ; (2) cache emergency supplies (gasoline, food, 

 etc.) at selected sites for use by subsistence hunters; (3) 

 provide emergency assistance to hunters during adverse weather 

 conditions; and (4) assist in transporting whale meat and 

 muktuk to prevent spoilage and maximize utilization of the 

 catch. 



The agreement was approved by the National Oceanic and At- 

 mospheric Administration in 1986. On 24 August 1987, it was 

 extended to cover the 1987 hunting seasons. In addition, the 

 agreement was expanded to include an additional industry par- 

 ticipant. 



Research Planning and Coordination 



In December 1977, the IWC lifted the total ban on subsis- 

 tence taking of bowhead whales that had been adopted the pre- 

 ceding June. This action was taken, in part, on a pledge by 

 the U.S. Commissioner to the IWC that the United States would 

 undertake a comprehensive research program on the species. 

 The National Marine Fisheries Service was responsible for 

 planning and implementing this program. Relevant research 

 also has been conducted or supported within the context of 

 this program by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, the 

 North Slope Borough, the Minerals Management Service, the oil 

 and gas industry, and the State of Alaska. As discussed in 

 its Annual Reports for 1977, 1978, and 1979, the Marine Mammal 

 Commission played a major role in developing the research 

 plan and initiating efforts to coordinate related bowhead 

 whale research projects. 



During 1987, representatives of the Commission participated 

 in two meetings to review research results and plans related 

 to bowhead whales. The first was the Fourth Conference on 

 the Biology of Bowhead Whales, convened by the North Slope 

 Borough on 4-6 March 1987 in Anchorage, Alaska. During the 

 Conference, participants reviewed recent research results and 

 future research strategies for censusing bowhead whales, assess- 

 ing bowhead whale feeding habits and the importance of certain 



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