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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2002

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has approved a $107,000 grant to help Alaska Natives fight for their whaling rights.

The money will fund the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission's participation in international talks for a whaling quota. "The basic right of Alaska Natives to subsistence whaling has been under constant attack and it is time that their interests are adequately represented before the international forums making these decisions," Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb said.

Native whaling has been the subject of a power play between the United States and Japan and its allies. At a recent International Whaling Commission meeting, Japan helped defeat a quota for Eskimo hunters.

McCaleb said the money will ensure Eskimo whalers make it to the next IWC meeting in Cambridge, England. The meeting is set for October 14.

"The funding will also provide the AEWC delegates with the ability to fully document their compelling case, with the goal of maintaining the bowhead whaling quotas for the people they represent," McCaleb said.

Relevant Links:
International Whaling Commission - http://www.iwcoffice.org

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