Seismic profiling, drilling, and other activities 

 associated with offshore oil and gas exploration and 

 development may affect the movements and behavior of bowhead 

 whales. The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission is concerned 

 that this could force subsistence hunters to travel greater 

 distances during the fall bowhead hunt, increasing the risk 

 that hunters could be killed or injured. To minimize such 

 risks, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and components of 

 the Alaska oil and gas industry entered into a cooperative 

 agreement on 9 July 1986 which provides that, during the fall 

 bowhead hunt in the Beaufort Sea, industry vessels conducting 

 seismic and other operations in the area will establish and 

 maintain radio communication with Native hunters to minimize 

 possible interference with subsistence hunters. The 

 agreement also provides, subject to approval by the National 

 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that the industry 

 will: (1) attempt to tow caught whales to a suitable 

 butchering site to prevent meat from spoiling (if an industry 

 boat is available near the kill site); (2) cache emergency 

 supplies (gasoline, food, etc.) at selected areas for use by 

 subsistence hunters; (3) provide emergency assistance to 

 subsistence hunters during adverse weather conditions; and 

 (4) assist in transporting whale meat and muktuk to prevent 

 spoilage and maximize consumption. 



On 1 August 1986, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration entered into a Memorandum of Understanding 

 with the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, approving the 

 cooperative agreement between the AEWC and the industry for 

 the fall 1986 bowhead hunt. 



Research Planning and Coordination 



When the IWC modified its total ban on the subsistence 

 take of bowhead whales in December 1977, it acted 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. Responsibility for planning and implementing 

 the U.S. bowhead whale research program has been delegated to 

 the National Marine Mammal Laboratory of the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service. Additional research concerning bowhead 

 whales has been conducted or supported by the Alaska Eskimo 

 Whaling Commission, the North Slope Borough, the oil and gas 

 industry, the State of Alaska, and the Minerals Management 

 Service. Since 1977, IWC action to adopt subsistence whaling 

 quotas for bowhead whales has carefully considered and 

 reflected research results. Likewise, the Minerals 

 Management Service has used research results to identify and 

 avoid or mitigate the possible adverse effects of offshore 

 oil and gas activities on bowhead whales. 



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