Renewed Whaling

First polar bear hunting, and now whales. The International Whaling Commission has renewed a 5 year whaling contract allowing continued subsistence hunting of bowhead whales. By a consensus vote, Alaska natives and indigenous communities of the Chukotka region in Russia (where polar bear hunting was legalized last month), have been allowed a quota of 280 bowhead whales over the next five years. The Japanese Whaling Commission supports this move and hopes that it's proposal to the IWC calling for subsistence hunting of minke whales by indigenous communities in Japan, will also be granted. Another proposal by Greenland is supposed to be raised this week supporting an increase of western Greenland's minke whale catch limits from 25 a year to 200 and the creation of an annual hunting quota of 10 humpback whales and two bowhead whales. According to the Environmental News Network, the commission has also renewed Russia's and the United States' aboriginal catch limits for gray whales in the North Pacific and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean also got a five-year renwed catch quota of four humpback whales a year renewed.
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Brazil has been asking for a sanctuary in the Atlantic ocean since 1998, but it has failed to gain 75% of the votes necessary to create a whaling-free zone in the South Atlantic Ocean. Pro-whaling nations oppose sanctuaries saying that they don't take into account scientific findings about growing whale populations.
In an age where we are losing an astounding number of species everywhere due to compounding environmental pressures and illegal hunting, I never thought that too many whales were ever going to be an issue. And who defines "subsistence" hunting or whaling? Aren't these renewed quotas and hunting policies pretty much laying out the red carpet for commercial scale poaching by non-indigenous groups? Who will monitor that only indigenous groups specified in the renewed policies, are those engaging in hunting and whaling? Who is going to assure that quotas are kept and catch limits are not exceeded? Who makes sure that the hunting and whaling is being used/will be used purely for cultural and subsistence reasons by indigenous communities who have persisted sustainably with these creatures, for generations. How strongly will surpassing the quota be dealt with?
Let's talk about subsistence. Polar bears are likely to become extinct in the next 25-50 years. Humpback whales have been on the endangered/threatened list, for as long as I can remember. What about the impending need to turn our attention to their subsistence?

image courtesy of Clean Water for All