Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling and Climate Change
Indigenous people of many far northern countries rely on whaling as a way of life. In this post, I'll explain the importance of aboriginal subsistence whaling and how climate change is destroying whaling lifestyles across the globe.
What is whaling?
Simply put, whaling is the practice of hunting and killing whales. People all around the world hunt whales for food, resources and research. But not just anyone can hunt whales — the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has been regulating global whaling practices since the mid-1900s to make sure whales are being killed at a sustainable rate. To do this, the IWC makes each country submit a quota listing how many whales of each breed their citizens plan to kill. The IWC can then accept or reject the quota to keep whale populations at sustainable levels.
The IWC classifies three types of whaling: research whaling, commercial whaling and aboriginal subsistence whaling (ASW). Research whaling is hunting whales for scientific research, while commercial whaling is hunting whales for money. Aboriginal subsistence whaling is hunting for and by aboriginal people who have a traditional cultural connection to hunting whales. For thousands of years, indigenous people have been killing whales to subsist their population and continue their cultural traditions. Currently, people in Greenland, the Russian Federation, the U.S., and the Caribbean island of Bequia in St. Vincent and the Grenadines have quotas for ASW.
Why is aboriginal subsistence whaling important?
Aboriginal subsistence whaling is important because it provides native people with food, cultural identity, kinship, and economic stability. Nutritionally, whale meat contains high levels of vitamins along with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, which promote heart health. The Greenland Inuit, in particular, are known for having great heart health which nutritionists believe is partly due to whale meat in their diet.
Culturally, native people who hunt whales base a lot of their identity on whaling. For many, their occupation revolves around hunting and selling whales. Even Inuit who don't participate in whaling often eat whale meat and recognize the cultural significance of whaling. For the Greenlandic Inuit, their language even has different words to distinguish between Greenlandic food and European food. Whaling is also generally a team effort, so whaling provides the Inuit with a bonding experience that is unique to their culture. Ultimately, whaling is a way of life for many indigenous people and any losses in whale populations will be detrimental to their culture.
How is Climate Change affecting whaling?
Basically, climate change is (or will soon be) turning whaling on its head. The Alaskan Inupiat are currently getting a taste of the potentially unpredictable conditions to come. It is one month into the Alaskan Inupiat whaling season and the whales still haven't arrived near the Alaskan Inupiat in Utqiagvik, Alaska. Although we can't know for certain, elders in Utqiagvik suspect that environmental changes are to blame for the whales' absence.
Climate scientists have shown that climate change will hugely impact whales' habitats. Sea ice melt, ocean acidification, changes in water temperature and changes in weather patterns will all influence whales' migration, nursery conditions and diet. Whales might not be able to adapt to these changes as quickly as they are occurring, which could lead to death or disease in whale populations.
Climate change will also directly impact how some native people hunt whales. While some ASW takes place solely in the water, other subsistence whalers hunt using sled dogs and snowmobiles on ice. As more ice is lost in the Arctic, these techniques will not be possible. This could lead to the loss of cultural whaling traditions among subsistence whalers.
What can we do about it?
The relationship between aboriginal subsistence whaling and climate change is yet another reason why we need to do everything in our power to mitigate climate change. Call your representatives, join a protest and make climate-friendly choices every day to fight for a better climate.