Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) 



Over-exploitation by commercial whalers reduced the 

 bowhead whale to extremely low levels throughout its range. 

 It has been totally protected from commercial whaling for 

 more than 4 years, and it is listed as both "endangered" 

 under the Endangered Species Act and "depleted" under the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act. 



Although commercial exploitation of the Bering Sea 

 population of bowheads did not begin until the mid-19th 

 century, they have been hunted for subsistence purposes by 

 Eskimos for centuries. Reported increases in the number of 

 bowhead whales landed, killed but lost, and struck but lost 

 by Alaskan Eskimos during the mid-1970s, however, led to 

 increasing concern about the adverse impact of unregulated 

 Eskimo hunting on the endangered bowhead population. This 

 concern led to a decision by the International Whaling 

 Commission (IWC) in June 1977 to ban the taking of bowhead 

 whales for subsistence by all its member nations' people, 

 including Alaskan Eskimos. Subsequently, in December 1977 

 and thereafter, the IWC modified the total ban in 

 recognition of the subsistence and cultural dependence of 

 Alaskan Eskimos upon bowheads, and established limited 

 quotas for subsistence hunting during 1978, 1979, and 1980. 

 At its July 1980 meeting, the IWC adopted a "block 

 quota" for the years 1981 through 1983 of 45 bowhead whales 

 landed or 65 struck, whichever comes first, provided that 

 not more than 17 whales could be landed during any one of 

 those three years. Detailed discussions of the Commission's 

 activities in previous years and a historical summary of 

 the bowhead whale issue are presented in the Commission's 

 Annual Reports for Calendar Years 1977-1981. 



Cooperative Agreement 



As discussed in the Commission's previous Annual Report, 

 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 

 behalf of the Government and the Alaska Eskimo Whaling 

 Commission (AEWC) on behalf of Eskimo whalers, signed a 

 Cooperative Agreement on 26 March 1981 in order to provide 

 Eskimo whalers with substantial opportunity and 

 responsibility for regulation, monitoring, and enforcement 

 of the bowhead whale hunt. The Agreement recognizes that 

 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has 

 the primary responsibility for bowhead whale management and 

 provides a mechanism for the Alaska Eskimo Whaling 

 Commission to assume responsibility for important aspects 

 of whaling management under its Management Plan. Under the 

 Agreement, which extends through 31 December 1987, the 



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