[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 250 (Tuesday, December 31, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72307-72308]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-28205]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[RTID 0648-XQ006]


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 2020, the quota is 93 bowhead whales struck. This quota and 
other applicable limitations govern the harvest of bowhead whales by 
members of the AEWC.

DATES: Effective December 31, 2019.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin Rusello, (301) 427-8376.

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 67th 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 and

[[Page 72308]]

other aboriginal subsistence whaling catch limits were based on a joint 
request by Denmark on behalf of Greenland, the Russian Federation, St. 
Vincent and the Grenadines, and the United States, accompanied by 
documentation concerning the needs of the Native groups.
    The IWC set a seven-year block catch limit of 392 bowhead whales 
landed. For each of the years 2019 through 2025, the number of bowhead 
whales struck may not exceed 67, with unused strikes from the three 
prior quota blocks carried forward and added to the annual strike quota 
of subsequent years, provided that no more than 50 percent of the 
annual strike limit is added to the strike quota for any one year. At 
the end of the 2019 harvest, there were 33 unused strikes available for 
carry-forward, so the combined strike quota set by the IWC for 2020 is 
100 (67 + 33).
    An arrangement between the United States and the Russian Federation 
ensures that the total quota of bowhead whales landed and struck in 
2020 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 
natives may use no more than 93 strikes.
    Through its cooperative agreement with the AEWC, NOAA has assigned 
93 strikes to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. 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 93 strikes.
    At its 67th Meeting, the IWC also provided for automatic renewal of 
aboriginal subsistence whaling catch limits under certain 
circumstances. Commencing in 2026, bowhead whale catch limits shall be 
extended every six years provided: (a) The IWC Scientific Committee 
advises in 2024, and every six years thereafter, that such limits will 
not harm the stock; (b) the Commission does not receive a request from 
the United States or the Russian Federation for a change in the bowhead 
whale catch limits based on need; and (c) the Commission determines 
that the United States and the Russian Federation have complied with 
the IWC's approved timeline and that the information provided 
represents a status quo continuation of the hunts.

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; and
     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: December 23, 2019.
Alexa Cole,
Director, Office for International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-28205 Filed 12-30-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P