[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 78 (Thursday, June 13, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5543-S5544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 285--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE CONDEMNING
THE FAILURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION TO RECOGNIZE THE
NEEDS OF ALASKAN ESKIMOS
Mr. MURKOWSKI (for himself and Mr. Stevens) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Res. 285
Whereas the International Whaling Commission was founded in
1946 under the International Convention for the Regulation of
Whaling, with the purpose of providing for the proper
conservation of whale stocks in order to make possible the
orderly development of the whaling industry;
Whereas the Commission has explicitly recognized aboriginal
subsistence whaling as separate from commercial whaling and
has in the past provided quotas for aboriginal subsistence
whaling participants from Denmark, the Russian Federation,
St. Vincent and The Grenadines and the United States;
Whereas the Commission has failed to renew the aboriginal
subsistence whaling which previously was designated for
Alaska Eskimo whalers;
Whereas the Commission's failure to reauthorize quotas for
aboriginal subsistence whaling was orchestrated by nations
disgruntled by the United States position in opposition to
the resumption of commercial whaling and determined to
retaliate against legitimate United States interests in
aboriginal subsistence whaling;
Whereas aboriginal subsistence whaling has been a mainstay
of the culture and livelihood of the Inuit people of Alaska
for thousands of years;
Whereas whaling by the Inupiat people of northern Alaska
brings significant benefits to every member of the successful
villages, where whale meat is shared among all residents;
Whereas the Inupiat people of Alaska have consistently
followed responsible management practices in carrying out
their whaling activities;
Whereas the Inupiat people of Alaska have embraced the goal
of whale conservation and participated heavily in whale
research and monitoring that demonstrates that their
subsistence whaling has no adverse effect on the population
of bowhead whales, their preferred species: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the failure of the Commission to renew aboriginal
whaling quotas is inconsistent with the understandings on
which the Commission is based, and jeopardizes the continued
existence of the Commission as a meaningful international
body; and
(2) regardless of any current or subsequent action of the
Commission, the United States government should take all
steps necessary to ensure the continuance of scientifically
sound aboriginal subsistence whaling by the Inupiat people of
Alaska.
Mr. MURKOWSKI. Madam President, I rise to offer a sense of the Senate
resolution condemning the International Whaling Commission's recent
vote against renewing quotas for aboriginal subsistence whaling by
Alaska's Inuit people.
I have always respected both the goals and the processes of the
International Whaling Commission, but my support has been badly eroded
by recent events.
[[Page S5544]]
The Inupiat people of northern Alaska have engaged in environmentally
responsible whaling practices for thousands of years, with no
international supervision. They were forced to stand and watch as the
great whales were decimated.
Alaska's Inupiat people responded positively to the conservation
goals of the International Commission, forming their own organization,
the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, which has participated
wholeheartedly in International Commission meetings. The Alaska
Commission has also put significant assets and effort toward research
and monitoring that has proven conclusively that current Alaskan
whaling poses no danger to the stocks of bowhead whales that are its
target species.
Whaling is more important to the communities of northern Alaska than
most can possibly understand. It provides a critical element of their
diet, a major staple for their survival. But beyond that, it is a
custom that is deeply ingrained in the culture of the Inupiat people.
Becoming a whaling captain is one of the greatest honors possible,
and carries with it great responsibility. Whaling captains provide gear
and supplies for their crews at significant cost, yet when a whale is
taken, they receive no compensation other than the knowledge of a job
well done, for which they are not even allowed to deduct their costs as
charitable contributions. It is a job that is important not only to the
whalers themselves, but to every resident of the whaling communities,
where their catch is shared between young and old alike.
But that long history and honorable practice suffered a serious blow
at the recent International Whaling Commission meeting in Shimoneseki,
Japan. Nations promoting the resumption of commercial whaling, led by
Japan itself, engineered a vote to reject the proposed renewal of
quotas for Eskimo whaling.
It is clear from a statement released by the Japanese Fisheries
Agency on May 24 that this action was taken solely to retaliate against
the United States for our opposition to the resumption of commercial
whaling, specifically our rejection of a small quota of Minke whales
for four coastal villages. There is a word for such an action, and that
word is ``spiteful.''
This is not the way international negotiations should be conducted.
Alaska's aboriginal whaling has nothing to do with commercial
whaling, and everything to do with honoring a way of life that has come
to be synonymous with survival for Alaska's Inupiat people.
It is not that I lack sympathy for the Japanese people, or the long
history of whaling that is part of the culture of those four Japanese
coastal villages. I happen to believe that history also should be
honored, and I hope that an agreeable solution to the current dilemma
will be developed in the near future.
Nor can I suggest that this development was a complete surprise.
Japan has long sought the resumption of commercial whaling, which is,
in fact, the stated purpose of the International Whaling Commission. It
has long warned that some form of retaliation might result from our
continued opposition in the face of scientific evidence that some whale
populations, such as the Minke whales sought by the coastal villages,
have fully recovered and could support the resumption of whaling.
Japan complains that the U.S. is being ``unfair.'' How could anything
be more unfair than the action Japan has orchestrated against Alaska's
Inupiat people?
I repeat, that this is not how international negotiations should be
conducted. Targeting Alaska's Inupiat whaling is not justified and can
only serve to further alienate even those who might be sympathetic to
the Japanese villages.
The resolution I am introducing today condemns this unwarranted
development, and calls on U.S. authorities to do everything in their
power to ensure that aboriginal subsistence whaling in Alaska is
allowed to continue under the same carefully crafted and scientifically
justified system that currently guides it. I understand the various
executive branch agencies with an interest in this issue are already
engaged in doing just that, and they deserve our enthusiastic support.
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