Endangered Species Act Section 7 Biological Opinion: Issuance of Annual Quotas Authorizing the Harvest of Bowhead Whales to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission for the Period 2013 through 2018

NOAA Fisheries proposes to issue annual quotas to the AEWC to allow continuation of their subsistence hunt for bowhead whales from the Western Arctic population1 for the years 2013 through 2018 (NMFS 2012a). This action complies with section 101(b) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), section 10(e) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Whaling Convention Act, and responsibilities under the auspices of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) by granting the AEWC a quota set by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for taking bowhead whales for subsistence use.