Alaskan Eskimo Whaling Commission

The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) formed in 1977 to protect the bowhead whale, while at the same time supporting those who depend upon the whale as sustenance. As the International Whaling Commission (IWC) acknowledged, “whaling, more than any other activity, fundamentally underlies the total life way of these communities.” The International Whaling Commission (IWC) determined in 1977 that the Eskimos were overfishing the whale population and extended regulations to Eskimo whaling. This meant that the Eskimos were banned from hunting bowhead whales. The truth was that there were far more whales than the IWC had estimated, however they never consulted with the Eskimos who knew this as fact.

From 1977 forward, representatives of AEWC have attended every annual IWC meeting where AEWC provides the commission with scientific research on the bowhead whales. In the summer of 1977, AEWC met with the United States government in order to preserve their subsistence hunt, for which the government promised to research into.

Eventually, AEWC approved by-laws to:

• preserve and protect the habitat of the bowhead,
• to protect Eskimo subsistence whaling,
• and their culture and traditions associated with subsistence bowhead whaling.

The IWC agreed to support:

• the establishment of goals that ensures that bowhead whaling follows AEWC regulations,
• will promote the scientific research to ensure the health and well-being of the bowhead whales,
• and will communicate to the world the Eskimo subsistence whaling of bowheads are to meet their nutritional and cultural needs.