[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 9, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 15754-15757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-8706]



=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 230

[Docket No. 960312069-6096-01; I.D. 022796F
RIN 0648-AI81


Whaling Provisions; Consolidation and Revision of Regulations

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: NMFS issues a proposed rule that would revise and update 
regulations pertaining to aboriginal subsistence whaling. The 
regulations would be revised to remove outdated provisions, codify 
current practice, incorporate current term usage, and reorganize the 
remaining provisions to make the whaling regulations more concise, 
better organized and, therefore, easier for the public to use. In 
addition, NMFS proposes to revise the regulations to broaden the 
current mechanism for regulating International Whaling Commission (IWC) 
authorized whaling by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) and 
other Native American groups.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before May 24, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Environmental Assessment (EA) for this 
proposed rule are available from, and comments should be sent to: 
Michael Payne, Fisheries Biologist, Office of Protected Resources, 
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. Comments 
regarding the collection-of-information requirements contained in this 
proposed rule should be sent to Michael Payne at the above address and 
to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB), Washington, DC 20503 (Attention: NOAA Desk 
Officer).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Kevin Chu (508) 548-5123.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In March 1995, President Clinton issued a 
directive to Federal agencies regarding their responsibilities under 
his Regulatory Reinvention Initiative. This initiative is part of the 
National Performance Review and calls for immediate, comprehensive 
regulatory reform. The President directed all agencies to undertake an 
exhaustive review of all their regulations, with an emphasis on 
eliminating or modifying those that are obsolete, duplicative, or 
otherwise in need of reform. This proposed rule is intended to carry 
out the President's directive with respect to the regulations 
implementing the Whaling Convention Act of 1949 (16 U.S.C. 916 et 
seq.).
    The revisions of 50 CFR part 230 proposed in this rule update the 
whaling regulations consistent with current authorities and usage of 
terms, eliminate duplicative or unnecessary text, and reorganize the 
regulations to make the regulations easier for the public to use and to 
reduce the volume and publication costs of the regulations.
    The current regulations require the Department of Commerce to 
monitor all aboriginal whaling, to collect all information directly, to 
declare when quotas are filled and seasons are closed, and to enforce 
directly the obligations of the IWC. The proposed rule would replace 
this requirement with what is the current practice, i.e., joint 
monitoring and enforcement of harvests authorized by the IWC, through a 
cooperative agreement between NOAA and a Native American whaling 
organization.
    Government monitoring, and especially enforcement, has not been 
feasible or desirable in the remote areas in which whaling takes place. 
Compliance with the IWC obligations through self-organized Native 
American organizations has worked better in practice, both from the 
point of view of the U.S. Government and of the members of the AEWC, 
the only group currently allowed by the IWC to whale in the United 
States. Self-organized Native American whaling organizations can gather 
information more readily, because they are community-based. Compliance 
is obtained through peer pressure, as well as through fines and, on 
occasion, the revoking of licenses. Moreover, the costs of putting 
Government agents in each whaling village are prohibitive. Implementing 
the regulations currently codified in part 230, in which Government 
oversight is required at all stages of whaling, would, therefore, 
either be unreliable or excessively expensive.
    The current part 230 allows only Alaska Natives to engage in 
whaling. The Makah Tribe of northwest Washington State also has a long 
tradition of whaling. It has recently expressed an interest in resuming 
this tradition and has asked the U.S. Government to seek a quota of 
gray whales for ceremonial and subsistence purposes from the IWC. Gray 
whales are not listed as threatened or endangered

[[Page 15755]]

under the Endangered Species Act. This proposed rule would allow a 
mechanism for a cooperative agreement with the Makah Tribe for 
monitoring and enforcing any IWC-authorized whaling. This mechanism 
would be similar to the successful practice with the AEWC.

Classification

    NMFS prepared an EA for this proposed action that discusses the 
impact on the environment of this rule. The EA concludes that the 
proposed revision of the whaling regulations will have no impact on the 
status of any endangered species, as these revisions have no affect on 
the quotas for aboriginal subsistence whaling authorized by the IWC. A 
copy of the EA is available (see ADDRESSES).
    This proposed rule has been determined to be not significant for 
the purposes of E.O. 12866.
    The Assistant General Counsel for Legislation and Regulation of the 
Department of Commerce certified to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of 
the Small Business Administration that this proposed rule, if adopted, 
would not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of 
small entities. Current regulations allow whaling only for subsistence 
and cultural use; the proposed rule would not change that provision. 
Only two Native American groups have expressed an interest in whaling--
the AEWC and the Makah Tribe. The proposed rule would broaden, rather 
than restrict, the opportunities for Native American groups to renew 
whaling traditions if the IWC grants the U.S. request for a quota. As a 
result, a regulatory flexibility analysis was not prepared.
    This rule contains a collection-of-information requirement subject 
to the Paperwork Reduction Act. This collection-of-information 
requirement has been submitted to OMB for approval. Whaling captains 
would be required to report whaling activities to the relevant Native 
American whaling organization, or to NMFS. Information on all whales 
struck or landed in the course of aboriginal subsistence whaling is 
requested to monitor compliance with IWC-authorized quotas and to 
supply required or requested information to the IWC. Information on 
landings of dead whales (``stinkers'') found floating at sea or washed 
up on shore is also requested to have a record of all whales brought to 
shore and to ensure that whales killed under the IWC quotas are not 
claimed to have been found dead. The public reporting burden for 
completing reports required by whaling captains is estimated at 0.5 
hours per response. The reporting burden for the Native American 
whaling organizations to report the whaling activities to NMFS is 
estimated at 5 hours per response. These estimates include the time for 
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information. Send comments regarding these burden 
estimates or any other aspects of the data requirements, including 
suggestions for reducing the burden, to NMFS and OMB (see ADDRESSES).
    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required 
to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure 
to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information 
displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.
    The Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, NOAA (AA) determined 
that these proposed regulatory changes will not affect any endangered 
or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
    The AA determined that whaling activities conducted under this rule 
would have no adverse effects on marine mammals, beyond what is 
authorized by the IWC.

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 230

    Fisheries, Indians, Marine mammals, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements.

    Dated: April 2, 1996.
Gary Matlock,
Program Management Officer, National Marine Fisheries Service.
    For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR part 230 is 
proposed to be revised to read as follows:

PART 230--WHALING PROVISIONS

Sec.
230.1  Purpose and scope.
230.2  Definitions.
230.3  General prohibitions.
230.4  Aboriginal subsistence whaling.
230.5  Licenses for aboriginal subsistence whaling.
230.6  Quotas and other restrictions.
230.7  Salvage of stinkers.
230.8  Reporting by whaling captains.
    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 916 et seq.

Sec. 230.1  Purpose and scope.

    The purpose of the regulations in this part is to implement the 
Whaling Convention Act (16 U.S.C. 916 et seq.) by prohibiting whaling 
except for aboriginal subsistence whaling allowed by the International 
Whaling Commission. Provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 
1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) also pertain to human interactions with 
whales. Rules elsewhere in this chapter govern such topics as 
scientific research permits, and incidental take and harassment of 
marine mammals.


Sec. 230.2  Definitions.

    Aboriginal subsistence whaling means whaling authorized by 
paragraph 13 of the Schedule annexed to and constituting a part of the 
Convention.
    Assistant Administrator means the Assistant Administrator for 
Fisheries of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
    Authorized officer means:
    (1) Any commissioned, warrant, or petty officer of the U.S. Coast 
Guard;
    (2) Any special agent or enforcement officer of the National Marine 
Fisheries Service;
    (3) Any officer designated by the head of a Federal or state agency 
that has entered into an agreement with the Secretary of Commerce or 
the Commandant of the Coast Guard to enforce the provisions of the 
Whaling Convention Act; or
    (4) Any Coast Guard personnel accompanying and acting under the 
direction of any person described in paragraph (1) of this definition.
    Calf means any whale less than 1 year old.
    Commission means the International Whaling Commission established 
by article III of the Convention.
    Convention means the International Convention for the Regulation of 
Whaling signed at Washington on December 2, 1946.
    Cooperative agreement means a written agreement between the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a Native American 
whaling organization for the cooperative management of aboriginal 
subsistence whaling operations.
    Landing means bringing a whale or any parts thereof onto the ice, 
or land in the course of whaling operations.
    Native American whaling organization means an entity recognized by 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as representing and 
governing Native American whalers for the purposes of cooperative 
management of aboriginal subsistence whaling.
    Regulations of the Commission means the regulations in the Schedule 
annexed to and constituting a part of the Convention, as modified, 
revised, or amended by the Commission from time to time.

[[Page 15756]]

    Stinker means a dead, unclaimed whale found upon a beach, stranded 
in shallow water, or floating at sea.
    Strike means hitting a whale with a harpoon, lance, or explosive 
device.
    Wasteful manner means a method of whaling that is not likely to 
result in the landing of a struck whale or that does not include all 
reasonable efforts to retrieve the whale.
    Whale products means any unprocessed part of a whale and blubber, 
meat, bones, whale oil, sperm oil, spermaceti, meal, and baleen.
    Whaling means the scouting for, hunting, striking, killing, 
flensing, or landing of a whale, and the processing of whales or whale 
products.
    Whaling captain or captain means any person who is authorized by a 
Native American whaling organization to be in charge of a vessel and 
whaling crew.
    Whaling crew means those persons under the control of a captain.
    Whaling village means any U.S. village recognized by the Commission 
as having a cultural and/or subsistence need for whaling.


Sec. 230.3  General prohibitions.

    (a) No person shall engage in whaling in a manner that violates the 
Convention, any regulation of the Commission, or this part.
    (b) No person shall engage in whaling without first having obtained 
a license or scientific research permit issued by the Assistant 
Administrator.
    (c) No person shall ship, transport, purchase, sell, offer for 
sale, import, export, or possess any whale or whale products taken or 
processed in violation of the Convention, any regulation of the 
Commission, or this part, except as specified in
    Sec. 230.5(f).
    (d) No person shall fail to make, keep, submit, or furnish any 
record or report required of him/her by the Convention, any regulation 
of the Commission, or this part.
    (e) No person shall refuse to permit any authorized officer to 
enforce the Convention, any regulation of the Commission, or this part.


Sec. 230.4  Aboriginal subsistence whaling.

    (a) No person shall engage in aboriginal subsistence whaling, 
except a whaling captain licensed pursuant to Sec. 230.5 or a member of 
a whaling crew under the control of a licensed captain.
    (b) No whaling captain shall engage in whaling that is not in 
accordance with the regulations of the Commission, this part, and the 
relevant cooperative agreement.
    (c) No whaling captain shall engage in whaling for any calf or any 
whale accompanied by a calf.
    (d) No whaling captain shall engage in whaling without an adequate 
crew or without adequate supplies and equipment.
    (e) No person may receive money for participation in aboriginal 
subsistence whaling.
    (f) No person may sell or offer for sale whale products from whales 
taken in an aboriginal subsistence hunt, except that authentic articles 
of Native handicrafts may be sold or offered for sale.
    (g) No whaling captain shall continue to whale after:
    (1) The quota set for his/her village by the relevant Native 
American whaling organization is reached;
    (2) The license under which he/she is whaling is suspended as 
provided in Sec. 230.5(b); or
    (3) The whaling season for that species has been closed pursuant to 
Sec. 230.6.
    (h) No whaling captain shall claim domicile in more than one 
whaling village.
    (i) No person may salvage a stinker without complying with the 
provisions of Sec. 230.7.
    (j) No whaling captain shall engage in whaling with a harpoon, 
lance, or explosive dart that does not bear a permanent distinctive 
mark identifying the captain as the owner thereof.
    (k) No whaling captain shall engage in whaling in a wasteful 
manner.


Sec. 230.5  Licenses for aboriginal subsistence whaling.

    (a) A license is hereby issued to whaling captains identified by 
the relevant Native American whaling organization.
    (b) The Assistant Administrator may suspend the license of any 
whaling captain who fails to comply with the regulations in this part.


Sec. 230.6  Quotas and other restrictions.

    (a) Quotas for aboriginal subsistence whaling shall be set in 
accordance with the regulations of the Commission. Quotas shall be 
allocated to each whaling village or captain by the appropriate Native 
American whaling organization. The Assistant Administrator shall 
publish in the Federal Register, at least annually, aboriginal 
subsistence whaling quotas and any other limitations on aboriginal 
subsistence whaling deriving from regulations of the Commission. These 
quotas and restrictions shall also be incorporated in the relevant 
cooperative agreements.
    (b) The relevant Native American whaling organization shall monitor 
the whale hunt and keep tally of the number of whales landed and 
struck. When a quota is reached, the organization shall declare the 
whaling season closed, and there shall be no further whaling under that 
quota during the calendar year. If the organization fails to close the 
whaling season after the quota has been reached, the Assistant 
Administrator may close it by filing a notice in the Federal Register.


Sec. 230.7  Salvage of stinkers.

    (a) Any person salvaging a stinker shall submit to the Assistant 
Administrator or his/her representative an oral or written report 
describing the circumstances of the salvage within 12 hours of such 
salvage. He/she shall provide promptly to the Assistant Administrator 
or his/her representative each harpoon, lance, or explosive dart found 
in or attached to the stinker. The device shall be returned to the 
owner thereof promptly, unless it is retained as evidence of a possible 
violation.
    (b) There shall be a rebuttable presumption that a stinker has been 
struck by the captain whose mark appears on the harpoon, lance, or 
explosive dart found in or attached thereto, and, if no strike has been 
reported by such captain, such strike shall be deemed to have occurred 
at the time of recovery of the device.


Sec. 230.8  Reporting by whaling captains.

    (a) The relevant Native American whaling organization shall require 
each whaling captain licensed pursuant to Sec. 230.5 to provide a 
written statement of his/her name and village of domicile and a 
description of the distinctive marking to be placed on each harpoon, 
lance, and explosive dart.
    (b) Each whaling captain shall provide to the relevant Native 
American whaling organization an oral or written report of whaling 
activities including but not limited to the striking, attempted 
striking, or landing of a whale and, where possible, specimens from 
landed whales. The Assistant Administrator is authorized to provide 
technological assistance to facilitate prompt reporting and collection 
of specimens from landed whales, including but not limited to ovaries, 
ear plugs, and baleen plates. The report shall include at least the 
following information:
    (1) The number, dates, and locations of each strike, attempted 
strike, or landing;
    (2) The length (taken as the straight-line measurement from the tip 
of the upper jaw to the notch between the tail flukes) and the sex of 
the whales landed;

[[Page 15757]]

    (3) The length and sex of a fetus, if present in a landed whale; 
and
    (4) An explanation of circumstances associated with the striking or 
attempted striking of any whale not landed.
    (c) If the relevant Native American whaling organization fails to 
provide the National Marine Fisheries Service the required reports, the 
Assistant Administrator may require the reports to be submitted by the 
whaling captains directly to the National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 96-8706 Filed 4-8-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F