Information about Aboriginal Whaling

Aboriginal whaling is the hunting of whales carried out by aboriginal groups who have a tradition of whaling.

Under the terms of the 1986 moratorium on whaling, the International Whaling Commission allows whaling carried out by aboriginal groups if it occurs on a subsistence basis.

The IWC says that:

aboriginal subsistence whaling is of a different nature to commercial whaling. This is reflected in the different objectives for the two. For aboriginal subsistence whaling these are to:

:ensure risks of extinction not seriously increased (highest priority);

:enable harvests in perpetuity appropriate to cultural and nutritional requirements;

:maintain stocks at highest net recruitment level and if below that ensure they move towards it.

In order for a country to carry out a hunt under the aboriginal group clause, the nation must provide the IWC with evidence of "the cultural and subsistence needs of their people." In particular the hunt is not intended for commercial purposes and the caught meat cannot be exported.

Greenlandic whaling

Greenland Inuit whalers kill around 170 whales per year, making them the third largest hunt in the world after Norway and Japan, though their take is only about one quarter of either Japan's or Norway's, which take 600 or more whales each year. The IWC treats the west and east coasts of Greenland as two separate population areas and sets separate quotas for each coast. The far more densely populated west coast accounts for over 90% of individuals caught. In a typical year around 150 Minke and 10 Fin Whales are taken from west coast waters and around 10 Minkes are from east coast waters.

Anti-whaling groups such as Greenpeace and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society have remained neutral on the Greenlandic hunt. Greenpeace says "[we do not] oppose (but nor do we support) aboriginal subsistence whaling." This has led nations in favour of a commercial hunt such as Japan and members of the High North Alliance to accuse anti-whaling bodies of hypocrisy. Much of the Greenlandic hunt is carried out using modern explosive harpoons and substantial boats rather than the single man canoes and spears as in the past. Moreover the Greenlandic hunt has a commercial aspect - whale meat can be purchased in shops in northern Greenlandic towns such as Ilulissat. Japan has said that it regards this silent approval of the commercial Greenlandic hunt by the IWC but continued opposition to coastal hunting in Japan as "racist" and reeking of "cultural imperialism", particularly because the Japanese plans indicated that the local catch would be consumed locally. This apparent double standard has caused fury amongst the Japanese public more than even the prohibition of commercial whaling.

United States whaling

In the United States whaling is carried out by Alaska Natives from nine different communities in Alaska. The whaling programme is managed by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission which reports to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The hunt takes around 50 bowhead whales a year from a population of about 8,000 in Alaskan waters. Anti-whaling groups portray this hunt is unsustainable, though the IWC Scientific Committee, the same group that provided the above population estimate, projects a population growth of 3.2% per year. If this figure is correct, the hunt is more than sustainable, but the IWC Committee's objectivity can of course be questioned. The hunt also took an average of one or two Gray Whales each year until 1996. The quota was reduced to zero in that year due to concerns about sustainability. A review set to take place in 2004 may result in the hunt being resumed.

Russian whaling

Russians of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Far East are permitted to take up to 140 Gray Whales from the North-East Pacific population each year.

Canadian whaling

Canada left the IWC in 1982 and as such is not bound by the moratorium on whaling. Canadian whaling is carried out by various Inuit groups around the country in small numbers and is managed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Caribbean whaling

Some whaling is conducting from Grenada, Dominica and Saint Lucia. Species hunted are the Short-finned Pilot Whale, Pygmy Killer Whale and Spinner Dolphins. Throughout the Caribbean, around 400 Pilot Whales are killed annually. The meat is sold locally. This hunting of small cetaceans is not regulated by the IWC.

Limited numbers of Humpback Whales are hunted from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In fact the whaling is carried out by a single elderly man and his nephew who carry out the hunt using simple hand-held harpoons and wooden rowing boats. The primitive nature of the hunt has caused it to become something of a spectacle on Bequia - the island from which the pair operate. Up until 2000 it was usual for the hunter to take two Humpbacks each year - one mother and one calf. In 2000 the IWC brought this quota down to two animals every three years. The unusual practice of taking a calf has caused great tension at IWC meetings - the anti-whaling side wanting it banned and the pro-whaling side saying it is no different from eating a lamb. The 2002 meeting re-set the quota to a maximum of twenty animals between 2003-2007, with a review in 2005 to check that four animals per year was sustainable.

Indonesian whaling

Lamalera, on the south coast of the island of Lembata, and Lamakera on neighbouring Solor are the last two remaining Indonesian whaling communities. The hunters have religious taboos that ensure that they use every part of the animal. About half of the catch is kept in the village; the rest is traded in local markets, using barter. The whale-hunts are carried out in a traditional manner, with bamboo spears and using small wooden outriggers, 10–12 m long and 2 m wide, constructed without nails and with sails woven from palm fronds. The animals are killed by the harpooner leaping onto the back of the animal from the boat to drive in the harpoon.

The people of Lamalera hunt several species of whale, primarily Sperm Whale (Baleen Whale is taboo), and in the peak year of 1969 caught 56 sperm whales. In addition to whales also dolphins, manta rays, turtles and several species of shark are hunted. In 1973, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization sent a whaling ship and a Norwegian master whaler, to modernize the hunt. This effort lasted three years, and was not successful. According to the FAO report, the Lamalerans "have evolved a method of whaling which suits their natural resources, cultural tenets and style." [1]

The World Wildlife Fund has carried out surveys in the village to determine that the limited hunting does not endanger world whale stocks or other endangered species.

•  • [ e] Whaling
International Whaling Commission History of whaling Aboriginal whaling Dolphin drive hunting By country Australia (Western Australia) Faroe Islands Iceland Japan Norway Products Ambergris Baleen Blubber Spermaceti Whale oil