"The bowhead whale hunt is an essential cultural and subsistence tradition for the Inupiat of Alaska's North Slope. It dates back at least 1,500 years, and annual harvests can supply families with hundreds of pounds of meat.
"It is the way of our life, and it's why we are who we are," said Deano Olemaun, a top official at the North Slope Borough.
Each fall, captains from Alaska's northernmost community, Utqiagvik, drive their powerboats 10 to 20 miles offshore to hunt whales. Usually by this point in the season, successful crews have towed dead bowheads back to town, divided up the meat and shared it with friends and family, who eat it through the winter until the whales return on their spring migration.
But this year, a month into the fall hunt in Utqiagvik, the bowheads still haven't shown up."
Nathaniel Herz reports for Alaska Public Radio/NPR October 29, 2019.
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