[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 79 (Wednesday, April 24, 2002)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 20055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10082]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 230
[I.D. 041602A]
Whaling Provisions: Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Quotas
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of aboriginal subsistence whaling quota.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces the aboriginal subsistence whaling quota for
bowhead whales, and other limitations deriving from regulations adopted
at the 1997 Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission
(IWC). For 2002, the quota is 75 bowhead whales struck. This quota and
other limitations will govern the harvest of bowhead whales by members
of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC).
DATES: Effective April 24, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Yates, (301) 713-2322.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Aboriginal subsistence whaling in the United
States is governed by the Whaling Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 916 et
seq.), which requires the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to publish,
at least annually, aboriginal subsistence whaling quotas and any other
limitations on aboriginal subsistence whaling deriving from regulations
of the IWC.
At the 1997 Annual Meeting of the IWC, the Commission set quotas
for aboriginal subsistence use of bowhead whales from the Bering-
Chukchi-Beaufort Seas stock. The bowhead quota was based on a joint
request by the United States and the Russian Federation, accompanied by
documentation concerning the needs of 2 Native groups: Alaska Eskimos
and Chukotka Natives in the Russian Far East.
This action by the IWC thus authorized aboriginal subsistence
whaling by the AEWC for bowhead whales. This aboriginal subsistence
harvest is conducted in accordance with a cooperative agreement between
NOAA and the AEWC.
The IWC set a 5-year block quota of 280 bowhead whales landed. For
each of the years 1998 through 2002, the number of bowhead whales
struck may not exceed 67, except that any unused portion of a strike
quota from any year, including 15 unused strikes from the 1995-1997
quota, may be carried forward. No more than 15 strikes may be added to
the strike quota for any 1 year. The 2001 strike quota was 75. At the
end of the 2001 harvest, there were 15 unused strikes available for
carry-forward, so the combined strike quota for 2001 is also 82 (67 +
15).
The United States and the Russian Federation have concluded an
arrangement to ensure that the total quota of bowhead whales landed and
struck in 2002 will not exceed the quotas set by the IWC. Under that
arrangement, the Russian natives may use no more than 7 strikes, and
the Alaska Eskimos may use no more than 75 strikes.
NOAA is assigning 75 strikes to the Alaska Eskimos. The AEWC will
allocate these strikes among the 10 villages whose cultural and
subsistence needs have been documented in past requests for bowhead
quotas from the IWC, and will ensure that its hunters use no more than
75 strikes.
Other Limitations
The IWC regulations, as well as the NOAA rule at 50 CFR 230.4(c),
forbid the taking of calves or any whale accompanied by a calf.
NOAA rules (at 50 CFR 230.4) contain a number of other prohibitions
relating to aboriginal subsistence whaling, some of which are
summarized here. Only licensed whaling captains or crew under the
control of those captains may engage in whaling. They must follow the
provisions of the relevant cooperative agreement between NOAA and a
Native American whaling organization. The aboriginal hunters must have
adequate crew, supplies, and equipment. They may not receive money for
participating in the hunt. No person may sell or offer for sale whale
products from whales taken in the hunt, except for authentic articles
of Native handicrafts. Captains may not continue to whale after the
relevant quota is taken, after the season has been closed, or if their
licenses have been suspended. They may not engage in whaling in a
wasteful manner.
Dated: April 18, 2002.
Rebecca Lent,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 02-10082 Filed 4-23-02; 8:45 am]
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