ACS Public Policies

1. It is extremely important to prevent the extinction of any species of cetacean.
2. The bowhead whale is one of the most endangered of whale species, and probably the most endangered of all of the great whales. The population is estimated at between 2,000 and 3,000 animals.
3. This situation came about mainly as a result of commercial whaling, rather than as a result of aboriginal whaling.
4. Biological projections show that the population is likely to decline, unless unrealistically optimistic estimates of biological parameters are used in the projects. Therefore, in order to prevent extinction the species and its habitat should be given complete protection until substantial population recovery has taken place.
5. There is a critical need for more accurate population, life history, and reproductive parameters.
6. The Eskimo hunting of the bowhead whale is carried out for the purposes of providing food for local consumption at a subsistence level and for supporting an ancient tradition. The whale is a source of legend and object of ceremony.
7. The cultural needs or nutritional desires of a human community should not be allowed to take priority over the survival of an entire species of cetacean.
8. There is no evidence for a special nutritional requirement for whale meat in the Eskimo.
9. Other less endangered species, especially the gray whale, could satisfy the cultural and nutritional needs in certain villages, particularly Wainright, Barrow, and the villages on St. Lawrence Island.
10. Efforts should be made to develop non-consumptive uses of the bowhead whale and to satisfy the cultural needs with non-consumptive uses.
11. Industrialization of any bowhead whale habitat should be avoided unless the risk of disturbance or pollution can be clearly shown to be negligible.

A fundamental purpose of the American Cetacean Society is the conservation and preservation of cetaceans. It is self-evident that any system for the survival of an endangered species must be set up and operating in the time period when such endangerment is critical. Such a period now exists for the bowhead whale, and it is therefore recommended that a moratorium on all bowhead killing be initiated.

Such a moratorium would require that aboriginal subsistence whaling of the bowhead whale be brought to an end. Such action does not reflect the nutritional desires and cultural needs of the natives indigenous to the area of the bowhead, but that points out that without a sustainable whale stock, such desires and needs are ephemeral and meaningless, and that alternative sources for subsistence must eventually be accepted.

Such a moratorium should be prepared at the 1979 International Whaling Commission 31st annual meeting. The contracting government should then prepare to expedite enforcement during the 1980 whaling season. The moratorium should continue until the bowhead population recovers to a level that assures the species' survival and growth. These population elements should be supported by valid data and endorsed by appropriate government bodies and the scientific community, particularly the Scientific Committee of the IWC. Thereafter an appropriate management program should be effected.

It is noted that the conservation and preservation of cetaceans is also vitally dependent upon the preservation of their habitats, free from pollution and harassment. Without this, the demise and annihilation of the cetaceans will continue.