Cooperative Agreements Between NOAA and the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission

1998 Cooperative Agreement

2003 Cooperative Agreement

2008 Cooperative Agreement

2013 Cooperative Agreement

2019 Cooperative Agreement

2026 Cooperative Agreement

These agreements protect the bowhead whale and the culture of the whaling villages, promote scientific investigation of the bowhead whale, and carry out the other purposes of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Whaling Convention Act, and the Endangered Species Act as these acts relate to aboriginal subsistence whaling. The 2026 Cooperative Agreement is amended annually to update relevant dates and annual strike limits for the AEWC bowhead whale quota, as outlined in Article 4(1) of the agreement.

These agreements provide for:

1. Cooperation between members of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the management of the bowhead whale hunt through 2031.
2. An exclusive enforcement mechanism that shall apply during the term of this agreement to any violation by whaling captains (or their crews) who are registered members of the AEWC, of any provisions of:

• The Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, or the Whaling Convention Act, as these acts may relate to aboriginal subsistence whaling
• The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling 1946
• Regulations of the International Whaling Commission
• The AEWC Management Plan
• These agreements

Last updated by Alaska Regional Office on 05/20/2026

More Information

• Bowhead Whales
• Bowhead Whale Management
• Research on Bowhead Whales
• Co-Management of Marine Mammals in Alaska