MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION - Annual Report for 1998 



is not accomplished in a wasteful manner. The 

 Alaska Beluga Whale Committee, made up of Alaska 

 Native beluga whale hunters and biologists, was 

 established to help conserve beluga whales and 

 manage beluga whale hunts. Based on information 

 from a variety of sources, the committee reported an 

 average subsistence harvest of Cook Inlet beluga 

 whales of about 15 animals per year between 1990 

 and 1994. However, this is almost certainly an 

 underestimate because it does not take into account 

 animals that were struck and lost; neither does it 

 include beluga whales taken by Natives who hunt in 

 Cook Inlet but live outside the region. The Cook 

 Inlet Marine Mammal Council, in consultation with 

 beluga hunters from Cook Inlet, estimated that more 

 than 30 beluga whales were taken by subsistence 

 hunters annually through 1994. 



The most thorough survey of beluga whale subsis- 

 tence harvests in Cook Inlet was undertaken in 1995 

 and 1996 by the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal Council. 

 The council reported through the Alaska Beluga 

 Whale Committee that 72 beluga whales were taken in 

 1995, including 22 that were struck and lost. Be- 

 tween 98 and 147 were reportedly taken in 1996, 

 including 49 to 98 that were struck and lost. 



To further compound the problem of high harvests, 

 beluga whale muktuk is being regularly sold to Alaska 

 Natives in Anchorage under section 101(b) of the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act, which allows edible 

 portions of marine mammals taken by Alaska Natives 

 to be sold in Native villages and towns. Muktuk, the 

 skin and blubber from the whale, is a highly valued 

 Native food. As a result, beluga whales hunted near 

 Anchorage have a substantial cash value, and some 

 hunters reportedly are taking them in large numbers. 



Clearly, the number of beluga whales being taken 

 by Native hunters far exceeds the potential biological 

 removal level of 14 whales per year calculated in the 

 Service's 1998 draft Cook Inlet beluga whale stock 

 assessment or the 3 whales per year that could be 

 taken safely if procedures recommended by the Alaska 

 Regional Scientific Review Group were adopted. 



As of the end of 1998 there was no effective 

 mechanism in place to limit the Native subsistence 

 harvest of Cook Inlet beluga whales. The National 



Marine Fisheries Service, in consultation with Alaska 

 Natives, has been exploring the possible use of the co- 

 management process provided for in section 119 of 

 the Marine Mammal Protection Act to better manage 

 the Native beluga whale harvest. Both the Alaska 

 Beluga Whale Committee and the Cook Inlet Marine 

 Mammal Council are working closely with the Service 

 to rectify this problem. To this end, these groups will 

 host a workshop in spring 1999 to discuss Cook Inlet 

 beluga whale issues and a co-management approach to 

 reducing harvests. However, a number of contrib- 

 uting factors have made this a particularly difficult 

 issue to address through the co-management process. 

 Cook Inlet is a large area that includes many commu- 

 nities. Its Alaska Native population includes residents 

 of local villages as well as those who have moved into 

 the region from elsewhere in Alaska. Beluga hunters 

 who have moved into the area may not be members of 

 local tribes, the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal Council, 

 or other tribal groups. Consequently, they may not 

 be bound by any cooperative agreements between the 

 Service and these entities. In addition. Cook Inlet 

 beluga whales may be hunted legally by Alaska 

 Natives living in other parts of the state, and some 

 beluga whales are taken by visiting Native hunters. 



Ultimately, the greatest difficulty lies in enforcing 

 provisions agreed upon through the co-management 

 process. Although amendments to the Marine Mam- 

 mal Protection Act provide for co-management 

 agreements, as currently interpreted by the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, they do not convey any 

 additional authority to enforce such agreements. 

 Thus, despite agreement by the Service, the Alaska 

 Beluga Whale Committee, and the Cook Inlet Marine 

 Mammal Council that commercial sale of beluga 

 whale parts should be disallowed and hunting cur- 

 tailed, it appears that, to accomplish this, the Service 

 will need to designate the stock as depleted under the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act or list it as threatened 

 or endangered under the Endangered Species Act and 

 promulgate accompanying regulations using formal 

 rulemaking procedures. 



Status Review of Cook Inlet Beluga Whales 



Concern over the decreasing population of beluga 

 whales in Cook Inlet and the apparent overharvest of 

 these animals prompted the Service to publish a notice 



34 



