I thought whale hunting was illigal??

Good for him tho..that's some big game

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska Eskimos can continue to hunt bowhead whales under a five-year quota extension that was overwhelmingly approved Tuesday by the International Whaling Commission.

''We are very pleased for our subsistence lifestyle,'' Isaac Nukapigak, a whaling captain from the North Slope village of Nuiqsut, said after the 76-nation commission voted by consensus to allow 280 bowhead whales to be taken over a five-year period, ending in 2012. Most of the quota is reserved for Alaska natives in 10 villages, with about two dozen granted to Russian residents.

The extension received the support of Japan, which is also trying to secure quotas for four of its coastal communities. Joji Morishata, the alternate IWC commissioner for Japan, asked that the same spirit of consensus be applied to other proposals, including the one from his country.

''Consistency is the keyword in this discussion,'' Morishata said.

Japan has long sought ''community whaling'' status, which would give it quotas similar to those allowing Alaska natives and other indigenous groups to hunt the mammals. Japan already kills more than 1,000 whales a year and sells the meat under a scientific research provision allowed by the IWC, which enacted a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986.

The IWC is expected to take up Japan's quota request on Wednesday.

Harvesting whales is considered a sacred accomplishment by many of an estimated 5,000 Alaska Eskimos who heavily depend on the meat for food. Ceremonial dances are held to bless the hunts and successful harvests prompt village celebrations where the meat is cut up and distributed.

Nukapigak said he was surprised at the friendly support expressed by so many nations, which showed their consensus with applause. Gone was the hostile politics of the 2002 meeting, when the quotas were rejected before being restored in a special meeting later that year, said Nukapigak, an alternate commissioner on the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. The panel represents 10 Alaska whaling communities.

After Tuesday's decision, Nukapigak said he can't imagine life without the bowhead whale, a coveted feature at Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities in the community of 400.

''It would be like taking part of my culture away,'' he said. ''It's a tradition that has been passed on to us for thousands of years.''

The passage of the quotas drew little response from the scores of activist groups in Anchorage to attend the four-day meeting. But the international organization, World Society for the Protection of Animals, said it respects native traditions, but can't support any activities harmful to animals. Spokeswoman Leah Garces said the group hopes indigenous groups such as Alaska Natives will find alternative and humane ways to fill their cultural and subsistence needs.

''As a welfare organization, we have to call a spade a spade,'' Garces said. ''And cruelty is cruelty.''

But Garces said the organization is focusing most of its attention on proposals before the IWC considered ''absolutely unacceptable,'' such as Japan's so-called research hunt.

Another one is a proposal from Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, to increase its aboriginal quota of minke whales and add bowhead and humpback whales to its hunt for the first time. Its delegation said the current quota does not meet the needs of a growing population.

Many pro-whaling nations supported the proposed addition while anti-whaling factions expressed strong opposition. Critics were particularly troubled about the proposed addition of humpback whales, an endangered species, and bowheads, noting the colossal mammals have low reproduction cycles and should not be treated as menu items.

Iceland delegate Stefan Asmundsson defended the proposal as being more conservative in quota numbers than those allowed by the IWC's scientific committee. He urged commissioners to avoid taking ''the stance of survival of the cutest.''

Commission chairman Bill Hogarth of the United States said, ''obviously there is no consensus,'' and recommended that Denmark initiate talks with other nations before putting the matter before a vote.

Also in closed-door talks Tuesday, Japan's Morishata met with representatives from anti-commercial whaling nations including New Zealand, Australia and the United States who vowed to avoid deals allowing commercial whaling by Japan. They also are outraged by Japan's plan to kill 50 humpback whales as part of its science program.

New Zealand commissioner Chris Carter said the two sides agreed to continue their dialogue that could lead to a compromise such as holding a future meeting in Japan. Carter said anti-whaling nations still oppose any commercial hunting proposals, including Japan's proposed community quotas, which would allow the sale of meat.

''Any form of commercial whaling is completely off the table - and we see that as commercial whaling,'' Carter said. ''Our position is whaling for survival, not whaling for cash.''

Morishata said Japan rejects labels like aboriginal or commercial hunting and instead believes hunts should be allowed when whale populations are sustainable. He noted that the downtown Anchorage hotel where the IWC is meeting has shops offering expensive native art made with whale baleen, bony mouth plates used to strain tiny food from the sea.

''I'm not saying that's bad,'' Morishata said. ''They're saying that's not commercial but selling whale meat is. I don't understand that.''

The meeting continues through Thursday.

Awesome,,, I watched a program on Eskimo whale hunts on NatGeo the other day and how a hunting party’s flag is displayed in the village to alert the people of a whale kill. The entire village then shows up to help butcher and clean the whale.. Cool stuff.

Congrats to this young man