Sustainable whaling: A success story

Sustainable whaling: A success story

1. Imagine living in Alaska, a place where the sun barely shines in winter and the temperature can drop below -30 degrees
   Fahrenheit
   . For thousands of years, Alaska's
   Indigenous
   peoples have thrived. Their success is thanks in large part to how they hunt whales. Today, due to concerns about low populations, hunting whales to sell their meat or oil is mostly illegal. Some people believe all forms of whaling should be banned. However, allowing
   sustainable
   whaling for Alaska’s Indigenous peoples has helped them survive and embrace their cultural traditions. It must be allowed to continue.

Tradition and survival, yesterday and today

2. In Alaska, Indigenous tribes have been hunting whales for over 2,000 years. For these tribes, whale hunting isn't just a way to get food. It's a way to help youth connect to their heritage and learn survival skills. Elders bond with young people as they teach them the hunting skills that have fed their tribes for so long, and communities celebrate their catches with traditional dancing and drumming. If tribes are stopped from hunting whales, they would lose not only an important resource, but also a part of their cultural identity.
3. In the icy, remote parts of Alaska, whale hunting isn’t a choice. It’s a necessity. Many communities rely entirely on the local environment for food. For example, the meat from a single bowhead whale, which can be as long as 60 feet, is enough to feed a whole community for a year. Every part of the whale is valuable and nothing is wasted. This meat is rich in vitamins and minerals that are hard to find in the local plants, especially during the long, cold winter months.
4. Moreover, the cost of living in Alaska is extremely high. This is particularly true in the remote areas where most Indigenous communities live. Buying food from a store often means paying high prices for items that have been shipped from far away. On the other hand, whale meat is a local source of food. By hunting whales, Indigenous communities can feed themselves without relying on costly food that has been imported from somewhere else.

Responsible regulations

5. During the 19th and 20th centuries, commercial whaling lowered whale populations to dangerously low levels. Clearly, whaling needed to be regulated. In 1946, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was formed. The group aims to conserve whale populations around the world. The members of the IWC represent different nations. In 1982, the IWC voted to suspend commercial whaling entirely. Today, that rule is still in place, with few exceptions.
6. However, the IWC still allows for Indigenous peoples, including those from Alaska, to hunt whales. Indigenous whale hunters have to follow certain rules. For example, whale populations must be high enough that sustainable whaling wouldn’t increase their risk of extinction. In other words, the IWC allows whaling for Indigenous peoples who depend on it, but only if whale numbers are great enough.
7. There is a big difference between commercial and sustainable whaling. The goal of commercial whaling is to make money by hunting as many whales as possible and selling the meat. Sustainable whaling is allowed because it helps people meet their basic needs. It is unlawful for Indigenous peoples to make money from their catches.

Is it working?

8. Evidence suggests that sustainable whaling for Alaska’s Indigenous peoples has been a success. In 2011, the population of Alaska’s bowhead whales was four times what it was in 1977. All those years, the whales were hunted sustainably. On the other hand, hunting gray whales was banned when their numbers dropped too low. Sustainable whaling is an important cultural and survival practice for Alaska’s Indigenous peoples, and it must be allowed to continue.