The International Management of Aboriginal Whaling

Abstract

Prior to the development of commercial whaling, several indigenous communities undertook hunts of whales to fulfill their subsistence needs. Fortunately, the two international conventions that implemented the regulation of commercial whaling did not lose sight of the needs of these aboriginal communities. How this was done, as well as the eventual evolution of the management of aboriginal whaling, is summarized in this review. The record shows that, whether in terms of exempting these aboriginal hunts from required management actions or of setting precautionary catch limits for otherwise protected stocks, an overriding management principle has emerged wherein international managers have been willing to accept conservation risks for aboriginal hunts that they otherwise would not assume for commercial operations. Although these risks were accepted, it was done at the cost to the aboriginal hunters of undertaking conservation measures often not applied to commercial hunts. While it is not clear from the record whether this guiding principle arose explicitly or implicitly, it is nevertheless explicitly clear that it has been and continues to be applied, and successfully so, when considering the conservation of the affected stocks.

Keywords:

• aboriginal whaling
• conservation
• depleted stocks
• hunts
• IWC
• management
• subsistence
• whales

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to J. G. Mead (Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History) who helped me gain access to the Remington Kellogg Collection within the Archives and Special Collections of the Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian Institution, 1996). R. Schmitten provided needed encouragement that led to the completion of the article. R. Brownell and J. Tichotsky, as well as two anonymous reviewers, provided useful comments that helped strengthen the article. Financial support for undertaking the research and preparing the article were provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service under purchase order nos. DG133F04SE0569 and DG133F06SE5491.

Notes

* The commission, on advice of the scientific committee, shall establish as far as possible (a) a minimum stock level for each stock below which whales shall not be taken, and (b) a rate of increase towards the MSY level for each stock. The scientific committee shall advise on a minimum stock level and on a range of rates of increase towards the MSY level under different catch regimes.