US government busts illegal trafficking in whale products; thousands
of artifacts seized
On March 1st, 2006 the US government filed notices of violation
against two Alaskan-based companies, alleging serious violations
of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Agviq Creations and
Out House Creations have been accused of selling marine mammal products
such as carved whale baleen and walrus bone ivory at a shopping
mall kiosk in Anchorage and at market fairs.
Agents from the Office of Fisheries Law Enforcement first noticed
that products made from baleen were being offered for sale at the
Outhouse Creations stall in The Mall at Sears in November of 2005.
After obtaining search warrants, federal agents descended on the
Outhouse Creations kiosk, a private residence and at a shop in Anchorage
where the baleen was being crafted. In all, some 2,586 pieces of
raw and carved baleen and other marine mammal products were confiscated
in the raids, estimated to be worth $50,000.
The MMPA prohibits the sale of marine mammal products and parts,
except when sold as Authentic Native Articles of Handicraft made
by an Indian, Aleut, or Eskimo who resides in Alaska and dwells
on the North Pacific Ocean or Arctic Ocean coast. The people cited
in the investigation were all non-native individuals.
Of further concern is that the illegal parts seized included endangered
species such as 104 pieces of raw bowhead whale baleen and 52 pieces
of raw humpback whale baleen. 43 pieces of minke whale baleen were
also taken in the raid, along with 1,171 carved and polished baleen
items. Neither the humpback nor the minke are allowed to be taken
in any US native hunt, and the articles from the Inuit bowhead hunt
are meant to be strictly controlled.
"While we applaud the US government for taking strong action against
those individuals involved in the illegal sale of whale and other
marine wildlife products, we remain deeply concerned as to the source
of these artifacts. How did these people obtain the baleen from
species not hunted legally in Alaska?"said Sue Fisher of WDCS, who
went on to add, "DNA testing must be done on the baleen to determine
the origins of the products, and in order to assess the possibility
of CITES violations."
CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species,
lists all baleen whales on Appendix 1, making it illegal to engage
in international sales of whale products. Fisher stated, "The sale
of the whale baleen in and of itself is a gross violation of US
law. Now we must ensure that international laws have not been violated,
as well."
