[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 32 (Thursday, February 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 8177]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03366]



[[Page 8177]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE408


Whaling Provisions; Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Quotas

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

ACTION: Notice; notification of quota for bowhead whales.

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SUMMARY: NMFS notifies the public of the aboriginal subsistence whaling 
quota for bowhead whales that it has assigned to the Alaska Eskimo 
Whaling Commission (AEWC), and of limitations on the use of the quota 
deriving from regulations of the International Whaling Commission 
(IWC). For 2016, the quota is 75 bowhead whales struck. This quota and 
other applicable limitations govern the harvest of bowhead whales by 
members of the AEWC.

DATES: Effective February 18, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Office for International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, 
National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Andersen Garcia, (301) 427-
8385.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Aboriginal subsistence whaling in the United 
States is governed by the Whaling Convention Act (WCA) (16 U.S.C. 916 
et seq.). Under the WCA, IWC regulations shall generally become 
effective with respect to all persons and vessels subject to the 
jurisdiction of the United States, within 90 days of notification from 
the IWC Secretariat of an amendment to the IWC Schedule (16 U.S.C. 
916k). Regulations that implement the WCA, found at 50 CFR 230.6, 
require 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 64th Annual Meeting of the IWC, the Commission set catch 
limits for aboriginal subsistence use of bowhead whales from the 
Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas stock. The bowhead catch limits were based 
on a joint request by the United States and the Russian Federation, 
accompanied by documentation concerning the needs of two Native groups: 
Alaska Eskimos and Chukotka Natives in the Russian Far East.
    The IWC set a 6-year block catch limit of 336 bowhead whales 
landed. For each of the years 2013 through 2018, the number of bowhead 
whales struck may not exceed 67, except that any unused portion of a 
strike quota from any prior year may be carried forward. No more than 
15 strikes may be added to the strike quota for any one year. At the 
end of the 2015 harvest, there were 15 unused strikes available for 
carry-forward, so the combined strike quota set by the IWC for 2016 is 
82 (67 + 15).
    An arrangement between the United States and the Russian Federation 
ensures that the total quota of bowhead whales landed and struck in 
2016 will not exceed the limits set by the IWC. Under this arrangement, 
the Russian natives may use no more than seven strikes, and the Alaska 
Eskimos may use no more than 75 strikes.
    Through its cooperative agreement with the AEWC, NOAA has assigned 
75 strikes to the Alaska Eskimos. The AEWC will in turn allocate these 
strikes among the 11 villages whose cultural and subsistence needs have 
been documented, and will ensure that its hunters use no more than 75 
strikes.

Other Limitations

    The IWC regulations, as well as the NOAA regulation at 50 CFR 
230.4(c), forbid the taking of calves or any whale accompanied by a 
calf.
    NOAA regulations (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.
     Captains and crew 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 to engage in an efficient operation.
     Crew 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 
American 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: February 11, 2016.
John Henderschedt,
Director, Office for International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-03366 Filed 2-17-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P