May 28, 2007, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today welcomed the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to Alaska and addressed its members. The commission is conducting its 59th Annual IWC meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
In her address, Governor Palin spoke to the distinguished group, reminding them of the importance of aboriginal subsistence hunting and the scientific contributions Alaska’s whaling captains have made in the study of bowhead whales.
“In Alaska, the Inupiat and St. Lawrence Island Yupik people live lives that are intimately tied to the ocean and to marine mammals,” said Governor Sarah Palin. “The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission has done a magnificent job of managing the subsistence bowhead whale harvest so the population continues to rise while the hunters are allowed to continue their ancient subsistence tradition.”
Governor Palin continued, “While the State of Alaska does not have management authority over the bowhead whale stock, we do know that successful management is all about achieving balance, and the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission is a model of co-management that is respected around the world and honored here in Alaska. Through their efforts and the efforts of others, the science tells us that the aboriginal subsistence whaling of bowhead whales is sustainable.”
http://gov.state.ak.us/archive-37752.html