NAMMCO/25/23 TWENTY FIFTH MEETING OF THE COUNCIL 5 – 6 April 2017, Nuuk, Greenland DOCUMENT 23 MARINE MAMMALS: A MULTIFACETED RESOURCE Submitted by: Planning Group for the Marine Mammals as Food Resources (MMFR) project Action requested: ▪ For information Background: This document has been developed by the Secretariat and it represents part I of the MMFR project. The document has been reviewed by the Planning Group. Marine Mammals: A multifaceted Resource © NAMMCO Greenlandic boy with dried humpback whale meat © F. Ugarte Marine Mammals: A multifaceted Resource 1. Why not consider Marine Mammals? 5 2. Marine Mammals, an Abundant and Logical Resource in the North 6 2.1 An abundant resource in a world of scarcity. 6 2.2 An abundant resource 7 2.2.1 Pinnipeds 7 2.2.2 Cetaceans 9 2.3 A highly valued and therefore carefully managed resource 9 2.3.1 Strict management of resources ensuring healthy stocks 9 2.3.2 A responsibly managed resource – welfare issues 13 3. Marine Mammals, a Green-Blue Resource 15 3.1 A natural Resource 15 3.2 A Resource in balance with the Environment 15 3.3 A Resource contributing to Blue Growth 17 4. Marine Mammals under Threat 18 4.1 A Changing Arctic as Background 19 4.2 Uncontrolled direct removals 19 4.2.1 Ship strikes 20 4.2.2 By-catch and entanglement 20 4.3 Insidious undercover anthropogenic stressors 20 4.3.1 The soft killers: contaminants and microplastics 20 4.3.2 Anthropogenic disturbances 21 4.4 Precautionary management needed and an appeal to join forces 22 5. Marine Mammals, a Healthy Resource with Challenges 23 5.1 Nutritive value 23 5.2 Health benefits 23 5.3 Health concerns: contaminants 24 6. Marine Mammals, a Resource Contributing to Food Security 25 6.1 Food Security – a growing concern 25 6.2 The status of Food Security in the Arctic 25 6.3 Marine Mammals as contributors to Food Security? 27 6.3.1 Stable availability 27 6.3.2 Stable access 28 6.3.3 Stable utilisation 28 7. Marine Mammals, a Source of Identity and Empowerment 29 7.1 A resource entwined with identity: Faroes 30 7.2 A resource entwined with identity and social purpose: Greenland 31 7.3 A resource entwined with avant-garde conservation: Iceland 33 7.4 A resource entwined with small communities’ viability: Norway 35 7.5 A resource empowering small coastal communities 36 8. Whaling and Sealing, Past and Present but Differently 36 8.1 Two different scales of hunting pressure 36 8.2 A strong incentive for sustainability 37 9. Marine Mammals, a Forgotten Resource? 38 9.1 A general attitude against using marine mammals as food resources? 38 9.2 Marine mammals as endangered species? 39 9.3 Are marine mammal supra-mammals? 40 9.3.1 Fascinating animals 40 9.3.2 Fascinating but not “innocent” 41 9.4 An ethical issue? 42 9.5 Another side of ethics - where should the real focus be? 42 10. Conclusion: Marine Mammals – why not? 43 References 45 Appendices 49 North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission 3 | 50 Marine Mammals: A multifaceted Resource 1. WHY NOT CONSIDER MARINE MAMMALS? Since pre-historic times, stranded or hunted marine mammals have represented resources in terms of food and materials for many coastal communities worldwide, as testified by their appearance in rock carvings, legends, writings, literature and art. In the Arctic, their wide distribution and abundance make them the predominant component of the marine ecosystem. Now, as in the past, they are a logical and necessary food resource. Their year-round availability has enabled small, remote and isolated northern coastal communities to survive and to maintain a relatively high degree of self- sufficiency in food production. Small-scale coastal whaling and sealing were not only a source of food, commodities, trading currency and cash, but also represented a cultural and societal keystone and were the mainstay of many coastal communities, particularly in Greenland. Subsistence coastal whaling and sealing were conducted in a largely sustainable manner, but became undermined as commercial whaling and sealing developed. The large scale systematic hunting for profit lead to serious declines in many of the world’s populations of marine mammals, to the point of collapse of most of the major whale stocks and the extinction of some pinniped species. As a result, marine mammal hunting became a worldwide symbol of mismanagement and abuse of natural resources. The emergence of the modern environmental ethic coupled with the development of precautionary and effective management procedures (by population and stock), as well as the demise of the demand for whale and seal oil, brought an end to large scale whaling and sealing by the mid-1980s. Although a few remain critically endangered, many stocks of marine mammals have since recovered from exploitation and are considered healthy (Gambell 1999, Clapham et al. 1999, Costa et al. 2006, Laidre et al. 2015, Thomas et al. 2015, Clapham 2016, IWC1 20162, Smith et al. in UN3 2016) and are thus able to sustain controlled removals. Today whaling and sealing are still a reality for many northern coastal communities, simply because marine mammals are present, nearby and abundant, and therefore a logical resource to use in an environment of scarcity. They continue to represent an invaluable resource providing food and/or income, as well as job opportunities in places where non-marine resources are limited and/or employment opportunities are few. Although the capacity for sustainable management has been built up through progress in the development of precautionary management procedures, targeted stocks are healthy, and locally sustainably exploited marine mammals represent an ecosystem-friendly, low-carbon footprint resource, the exploitation of marine mammals remains controversial and demonised, stamped as uncivilised and barbaric – barely acceptable as subsistence activities for those marginal “aboriginals” or “natives”. Food insecurity is recognised as one of the major concerns of the 21st century and is, particularly in the Arctic, exacerbated by climate change. Some marine mammals represent valuable potential contributors to food security in many places. Nevertheless, they are ignored as potential food resources in the general discourse on food security (Godfray et al. 2010, UN 2014, 2015, FAO 2016, Potts et al. 2016, WEF 2016). The UN General Assembly (UN 2014) recognises the important role played by seafood in global food security and defines seafood as including “all marine living resources used for food, including fish, shellfish, crustaceans, marine mammals, sea turtles and algae (our emphasis)”. 1 International Whaling Commission 2 https://iwc.int/status, retrieved June 2016 3 United Nations North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission 5 | 50 Marine Mammals: A multifaceted Resource It underlines that “this definition promotes a holistic view of the contribution of seafood to global food security”. Marine mammals are mentioned as a possible important source of nutrition, in particular for certain groups of indigenous peoples and it is also noted that they are not as widely consumed for a variety of reasons. After this mention, however, the potential of marine mammals as contributors to food security is simply not examined further. With a focus on the northern regions, we examine the potential of marine mammals as a food resource in the light of both the “blue economy” and climate and environmental change, in an environmental, dietary and societal perspective. We look at their abundance, our ability to manage them sustainably, their ecological footprint and explore why marine mammal resources are currently ignored in the context of food security. Petroglyph from South Norway depicting a whale. 2. MARINE MAMMALS, AN ABUNDANT AND LOGICAL RESOURCE IN THE NORTH Marine mammals have been and are still consumed as human food all around the world (e.g., Shoemaker 2005, Robards and Reeves 2011). In the northern latitudes, marine mammals have, however, acquired a special significance because of their abundance when compared to the scarcity of land resources. 2.1 AN ABUNDANT RESOURCE IN A WORLD OF SCARCITY. The Arctic environment of the NAMMCO countries is characterised by an inhospitable environment and climate, with limited usable land resources. Both flora and fauna in this environment have low diversity and quantity, and are limited by a short summer growing season. In sharp contrast, the marine environment bursts with diverse and abundant resources, including fish, crustaceans, sea birds and marine mammals. The fish fauna is, however, impoverished compared to lower latitudes, although a few important species abound in some areas. Sometimes these abundant fish species occur in deeper waters, which until relatively recently could not be effectively taken with indigenous fishing technology (e.g. Greenland halibut, shrimp and crab). In contrast to the limited fish resources, several species of marine mammals (seals and whales) are permanent residents accessible to hunters. Migratory warm-blooded species (including birds and whales) arrive also in abundance in the summer months to feed on the seasonally available marine invertebrates (Freeman 2001). Animal diets, including those of humans, reflect the resource availability within their specific environments, leading to geographical variation within and between species. Human diets in the Arctic have been and still are dominated by marine resources and technical limitations in fishing methods North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission 6 | 50 Marine Mammals: A multifaceted Resource dictated that until recently they were heavily centred upon marine mammals. The reliance on locally available resources is reinforced by limitations in transport infrastructure due to the large distances between northern settlements and the harsh landscape. In Greenland, for example, no roads connect the towns on the mainland. Many communities are isolated for months of the year due to the presence of sea ice, and food shipments can’t get through by sea.