Bequia Island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the subject of this report, lies on the latitude 13 degrees north and the longitude 61 degrees 15 minutes west. It has a total area of 18.1 square kilometers and a population of 4,874. In Bequia, whaling was started in 1875 or 1876 and reached its peak circa 1910 when about 100 men were engaged in catching and processing of humpback whales. Since 1925, whaling in the Caribbean has been limited to Bequia, and the island economy has been seriously affected by the success in catching a few whales a year. Although there was a certain danger of extinction of whaling culture, it has managed to survive until today. The aim of this report is to describe the current situation of whaling activity in Bequia. Only seven humpback whales have been captured since 1991 when I started field research (one in 1992, two in 1993, two in 1998 and two in 1999). There was no catch during the four years between 1994 and 1997. It was the transitional time of whaling technique from an old generation to a new generation for these four years. It was the whaling culture that was endangered at that time. A harpooner of an old generation and a harpooner of a new generation each succeeded in capturing a whale in the year of 1998 and 1999. As a result of success for these two years, the whaling technique seems to have been handed down from an old generation to a new generation. A whale caught is processed at the shore station in Petit Nevis, a small uninhabited island near Bequia, and whale meat is sold to Bequians on the spot. The islanders who purchased whale meat cook it at the place and eat it, and they also bring it back home to distribute it among their family, relatives and friends. Local consumption of whale meat is very important for them. Because of a quota of two humpback whales per year imposed by the International Whaling Commission, they can not catch a whale freely. Besides, a whale is not always captured annually. However, Bequians go out for purchasing whale meat whenever a whale was captured. The islanders fully recognize that they are inhabitants of an island of whaling by eating whale meat. To satisfy them culturally is one thing, and to satisfy them nutritionally is another. They are not troubled nutritionally even if they don't eat whale meat. But they need to eat it culturally. Although environmentalists respect animal rights, they neglect human rights. We should protect Bequians' right to catch a humpback whale. For the people in Bequia, whaling is a way of life that makes it worth living.
https://ror.org/05jvh0739 
