Spotlight: People of the Whales (Part 2)

Inupiat whale hunter Price Brower reaches out to touch a bowhead whale 

As mentioned in my previous post, the Inupiat have sustainably hunted the bowhead whale for generations. Archaeological evidence suggests that postglacial Inupiat settlements followed whale distribution, and historically they harvested around sixty bowhead whales per year from the Bering Sea. 

Arctic communities tend to adjust to the abundance of their resources. For example, when the climate is warmer, and food is abundant, hunting and sex taboos are lifted to encourage an increase in birth rate. However, these are implemented again when the climate is colder and resources begin to diminish. 

The discovery of the arctic bowhead stocks by American whaleman Captain Thomas Roys in 1848 marked the beginning of intensive whaling in the Bering Sea. The bowhead whale was hunted by commercial whalers for oil, meat, and baleen. This caused the Inupiat harvest to fall to one-sixth of previous levels. By 1910, whaling operations had collapsed due to the reduced bowhead population and a decline in demand for whale products. 

In 1977, the International Whaling Committee estimated the worldwide bowhead population at between 800 and 2000 individuals, but Inupiat insisted the population was higher. The US government faced a dilemma: turn its back on its ethical and legal obligations to the Inupiat, or allow the hunt to continue and potentially undermine the international movement to protect the whales. After an appeal by the US delegation to allow a 'modest take' by the Inupiats was rejected by the IWC Scientific Committee, the harvest was immediately banned.

In response the news, indigenous whalers formed the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Committee and successfully convinced the IWC to allow a subsistence exception under an annually reviewed quota system. Alaska Native hunters take around 0.1-0.5% of the population per year, with the number of kills ranging between 14 and 72 per year, and the AEWC is required to provide information including estimated mortality and reproduction rates to the IWC.

Inupiat celebrate the whale hunt

Some people may find these images abhorrent- particularly considering the status and perilous history of the bowhead whale. It raises the question of whether such a species should be hunted at all. On a very personal level, I'm a vegan and don't like the killing of any animal. However, I definitely have privileges that we all take for granted; my local supermarket is about five minutes away from my flat, and the turkey at Christmas could easily be replaced with a variety of meat-free substitutes. Food prices in Barrow, Alaska, are extortionately high,and Inupiat rely on the bowhead and other marine mammals for subsistence with few practical alternatives. 

I never thought I would say anything other than 'all whaling is wrong and should be banned', but for now I don't know if I can outright condemn Inupiaq whaling. According to the IUCN, the bowhead population is increasing, and the quotas are widely adhered to. The main modern threats are habitat loss and toxics accumulating in the Arctic, and the individuals taken by indigenous hunters have not affected the whale's recovery. Nevertheless, I think there still needs to be continued dialogue between the IWC and the Inupiat, and careful monitoring of the Bering population to secure its future. 

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts!