ABORIGINAL SUBSISTENCE WHALING
Since its inception, the IWC has recognised 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.
Under current IWC regulations, aboriginal
subsistence whaling is permitted for Denmark
(Greenland, fin and minke whales), the Russian
Federation (Siberia, gray and bowhead whales), St
Vincent and The Grenadines (Bequia, humpback whales)
and the USA (Alaska, bowhead and gray whales). It is
the responsibility of national governments to
provide the Commission with evidence of the cultural
and subsistence needs of their people. The
Scientific Committee provides scientific advice on
safe catch limits for such stocks.
With the completion of the RMP
for commercial whaling, the Commission asked the
Scientific Committee to begin the process of
developing a new procedure for the management of
aboriginal subsistence whaling (the AWMP). This is
an iterative and ongoing effort. The Commission will
ultimately establish an Aboriginal Whaling Scheme
that comprises the scientific and logistical (e.g.
inspection/observation) aspects of the management of
all aboriginal fisheries. Within this, the
scientific component might comprise some general
aspects common to all fisheries (e.g. guidelines and
requirements for surveys and for data c.f. the RMP)
and an overall AWMP within which there will be
common components and case-specific components.
Until the AWMP is completed then the Committee
provides advice on a more ad hoc basis, carrying out
major reviews according to the needs of the
Commission in terms of establishing catch limits and
the availability of data. It also carries out brief
annual reviews of each stock. (Click
HERE for the Scientific
Committee's most recent advice).
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