[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]
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