Chapter III — Species of Special Concern 



January 1993 published a Federal Register notice 

 proposing that the population be listed as threatened. 



The analysis accompanying the Service's proposal 

 noted that at least 2,000 harbor porpoises were being 

 caught incidentally in regional gillnet fisheries, that 

 the minimum bycatch was about 4.5 percent of the 

 best population estimate, that the incidental take was 

 exceeding sustainable levels, and that regulations 

 necessary to reduce the level of bycatch did not exist. 

 During 1993 and 1994 the comment period on the 

 proposal was extended several times as new informa- 

 tion became available on harbor porpoise incidental 

 take and management actions. In its comments of 22 

 September 1994, the Commission noted that informa- 

 tion summarized by the Service in support of its 

 proposal justified the listing action and that more 

 recent information on harbor porpoise bycatch levels 

 indicated that the situation was actually worse than 

 believed when the Service first made its proposal. 

 Accordingly, the Commission recommended that the 

 Service immediately proceed with its proposed action. 



Although the Commission understood that the 

 Service intended to announce a decision on the matter 

 early in 1995, it did not do so, nor did it make a 

 decision subsequently in 1995. As noted above, the 

 Commission wrote to the Service on 10 October 1995 

 expressing concern about the timeliness of Service 

 action on this and other harbor porpoise management 

 actions and asking to be advised when a decision 

 would be made on the listing proposal. As of the end 

 of 1995, it had not received a reply from the Service. 



Beluga Whale 

 (Delphinapterus leucas) 



The beluga whale (also known as the belukha or 

 white whale) is distributed widely throughout Arctic 

 and sub- Arctic seas. The size and discreteness of 

 individual populations is uncertain. Total abundance 

 is estimated to be 50,000 to 70,000 animals world- 

 wide. Five relatively discrete beluga whale popula- 

 tions are thought to exist in U.S. waters. The largest 

 is the Beaufort Sea stock, shared with Canada. Other 

 populations are found in the eastern Chukchi Sea, 

 Norton Sound, Bristol Bay and Cook Inlet. 



Beluga whales have been a traditional source of 

 food and oil for northern Natives for centuries. 

 Subsistence hunting may have begun as early as the 

 ninth century. Commercial exploitation of the species 

 began in the mid- 1800s and continued until the end of 

 the century when whaling fleets turned their attention 

 to more profitable species. However, a commercial 

 take by land-based trading companies continued, in 

 some cases into the 1960s. Some stocks thought to 

 have been reduced to 10 to 20 percent of their initial 

 size. Today almost all catches of beluga whales are 

 by local peoples for subsistence use, including a take 

 by Alaska Natives. In a few cases, beluga whales are 

 captured for public display. The species is listed on 

 Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade 

 in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 



Alaska Beluga Whale Committee 



Beluga whales are an important subsistence re- 

 source in several Alaska Native villages. In the 1980s 

 beluga whales became a focus of attention by conser- 

 vation groups, which were concerned that the numbers 

 of beluga whales in Alaska waters might be declining. 

 At the same time, there were discussions within the 

 International Whaling Commission on possible 

 management of small cetaceans. In March 1988 the 

 Alaska Beluga Whale Committee was formed by 

 concerned Natives and representatives of local, state 

 and Federal agencies to promote the wise conserva- 

 tion, management, and use of beluga whales. Since 

 1992 Congressionally appropriated funds passed 

 through the National Marine Fisheries Service have 

 allowed the committee to take an active role in beluga 

 whale management and research. 



The Alaska Beluga Whale Committee held a work- 

 shop on the beluga whale in Anchorage, Alaska, on 5- 

 7 April 1995 to review available information on the 

 status and conservation of beluga whales. The work- 

 shop included Native hunters from 16 Alaska coastal 

 communities and representatives of local, state and 

 Federal agencies. Also participating were government 

 representatives from Canada and Denmark (for 

 Greenland). The workshop reviewed current infor- 

 mation about beluga whales, reports of studies being 

 supported by the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee, 

 harvest information from Alaska, Canada, and Green- 

 land, and research needed to resolve uncertainties 



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