stock size is 3,857 (range 3,390 - 4,325) and that current 

 stock size is therefore 42.9 - 21.4 percent of the 

 estimated range of the initial 1848 population size 

 (9,000 - 18,000). The Committee indicated that because 

 of the large catches during the course of early, commercial 

 whaling activities, it believes that the initial stock 

 size was nearer to the upper end of the range of estimates 

 so that the present stock size is closer to the lower 

 percentage (21.4 percent) of initial size. It therefore 

 recommended that the stock continue to be classified as a 

 protected stock and that the safest course for the recovery 

 of the stock is for the take to be zero. 



During the consideration of catch limits for the 

 bowhead hunt in Technical Committee, Spain proposed that 

 the quota for 1983 be set at zero. This proposal was 

 seconded by U.S.S.R. and passed by a vote of nine (Federal 

 Republic of Germany, Kenya, Mexico, Oman, Peru, St. Vincent, 

 South Africa, Spain, and U.S.S.R.) to seven (Australia, 

 Denmark, Seychelles, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, 

 and United States) with 19 abstentions. During the 

 discussion in plenary session, the IWC members noted that 

 the previous decision establishing a three-year quota 

 running through the 1983 season should be honored and it 

 was agreed, despite the strong feelings of several members, 

 to leave the existing quota in place and defer consideration 

 of the matter until the July 1983 meeting. At that time, 

 quotas for 1984 and thereafter will be established 

 pursuant to the aboriginal whaling scheme which was adopted. 



Research Coordination and Planning 



Research relevant to the conservation and protection 

 of bowhead whales is conducted or supported by a variety of 

 agencies and organizations, including the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, the Minerals Management Service, the 

 North Slope Borough, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, 

 the State of Alaska, and the oil and gas industry. Since 

 1978, the Commission, as described in previous Annual 

 Reports, has overviewed and made a number of recommendations 

 to facilitate planning and coordination of this research. 



A substantial amount of new information has been 

 obtained and, in January 1982, the Alaska Eskimo Whaling 

 Commission sponsored a Conference on the Biology of Bowhead 

 Whales to review research results and identify possible 

 methods for obtaining better information on population size 

 and productivity. The Commission participated in the 

 conference and, by letter of 11 January 1982, recommended 



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