OUR WORK

The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission manages the bowhead whale subsistence hunt locally through a Cooperative Agreement with the United States Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A key component of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission’s work is the Weapons Improvement Program (WIP). The program is designed to improve hunter safety and the reliability of our weapons and ensure the efficiency and humaneness of our hunt.

Since 1977, representatives of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission have attended every meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to advocate for our subsistence hunting rights and provide the required scientific research on the bowhead whale and the efficiency of our harvests.

The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission works collaboratively with the North Slope Borough Department of  Wildlife Management to conduct extensive research on the health and abundance of the bowhead whale stock harvested by AEWC whaling captains. 

Since 1986, the AEWC has worked to develop procedures for mitigating adverse impacts on bowhead whales, their habitat, and bowhead whale subsistence hunting from offshore oil and gas development. In recent years, a similar approach has been applied to vessel traffic operators.

The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission is an Equal Opportunity Employer.