Alaska Native whaling faces threat

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2002

Japan's negotiator in international whaling talks on Wednesday indicated his country would block Alaska Native subsistence whaling.

Japan has said it is not against indigenous whaling but what it considers a double standard of the United States. The U.S. opposes coastal whaling in Japan.

Japan's opposition at the International Whaling Commission helped kill a bowhead whale quota for Alaska Natives. If the issue isn't resolved, the Bureau of Indian Affairs might take over management of whale hunts, according to Alaska Natives.

Get the Story:
Whale hunts again in peril (The Anchorage Daily News 8/8)
Japan may block U.S. moves on Eskimo whaling (AP 8/8)

Relevant Links:
International Whaling Commission - http://www.iwcoffice.org