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Caribbean
In Grenada, the Commonwealth of Dominica and Saint Lucia limited whaling occurs.
Short-finned pilot whales, pygmy killer whales and various dolphins including
the spinner dolphin are caught. In the Commonwealth of Dominica an average of
two sperm whales beach per year, and these are consumed if encountered in a
fresh state.
The meat of the short-finned pilot whale is sold locally and eaten fresh or
boiled. The meat is referred to as "blackfish". 300 - 450 pilot whales
are hunted annually in at least four Caribbean countries.
In the past some sperm and humpback whales were hunted across the Caribbean. But
today, humpbacks are hunted only in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Indonesia
Indonesia is not a member of the IWC. However, a hunt
for sperm whales, an IWC species, takes place. In 1988, 26 sperm whales
were caught, with 19 boats participating. The all time high was in 1969
when 56 whales were taken, and the all time low was in 1982 when only two
were caught.
There are indications that about 20 Bryde's whales
are also hunted. Traditionally killer whales and smaller cetaceans were
hunted, but the current catch statistics are not known at this time.
Further reading:
Indonesia:
The Whalers the World Had Forgotten
Whaling in the
Indonesian village Lamalera
New Zealand
New Zealand Maori represent one of the most southern
whaling cultures in the world.
While in the past Maori hunted small cetaceans,
they mainly relied on the regular strandings of various whales, which
occur around the coastlines. The prized species is the sperm whale for the
bone and teeth for carving, oil and once meat. Pilot whales were also a
great source of meat and are often referred to as 'blackfish'.
The ancient Maori practice of utilising stranded
whales endured throughout the colonial period, but was made illegal in
1978 with the introduction of the Marine Mammals Protection Act.
While seeking to protect marine mammals, including
stranded whales, the Act is seen by Maori as another attempt to extinguish
their customary and Treaty rights to whales, by making it illegal to
utilise them. Not only is access to meat, oil, bone and teeth lost, but
the customary practices, or one primary vehicle for the transmission of
traditional knowledge from generation to generation, is severed. Some very
limited protocols to access only dead animals are being developed between
Maori and the Government.
Maori hosted the 3rd General Assembly of the World
Council of Whalers in November 2001.
Further reading:
The Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission(external)
The Philippines
The full extent of whaling in the Philippines is not
known. Reports indicate that maybe a handful of Bryde's whales are caught
annually, as well as an unknown number of various dolphin species and
killer whales.
Russia
The Indigenous Peoples of Chukotka in north-east
Siberia are whale hunters. They have an IWC quota of 120 gray whales and
five bowhead whales annually. Using skin boats and wooden whaleboats,
whalers take the whales using harpoons, spears and - for the last few
years - American darting guns.
A number of beluga and narwhal are also
caught.
St.Vincent and the
Grenadines
St. Vincent and the Grenadines has an IWC-quota of
two humpback whales which has been used in the two last years. In
addition, 50-60 short-finned pilot whales are taken annually as well as a
number of dolphins.
The meat is shared among those involved in the
hunting and the processing of the whales. Some meat is consumed
domestically, and the surplus is sold.
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