Remarks of Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich
To Opening Ceremonies of the International Whaling Commission
10 a.m.; May 28, 2007; Hotel Captain Cook

Thank you, Commissioner Hogarth, for your introduction and your service to our nation and this organization.

As mayor of Alaska’s largest city, I welcome each of you to Anchorage. We are honored the International Whaling Commission has recognized our city by choosing to meet here.

Anchorage is an ocean city. Our residents are keenly interested in your deliberations, which make the front page here each time you meet.

Whales and whaling are not abstract topics here. We live with whales in Cook Inlet and we respect and value the unique cultural role of subsistence whaling by Alaska Native people.

I would like to thank the Dena’ina people whose traditional lands we are using for our meeting today. They are good hosts.

We’ve recently named our largest civic building in honor of the Dena’ina, our new convention center currently under construction a few blocks from here.

Next time you come to Anchorage, please meet there and enjoy spectacular views of the Chugach Mountains which surround our city.

Anchorage is a great place for an international conference, and this is a great time to be here. The outdoors are irresistible as you take in the view from the Captain Cook Monument a few steps from here.

Anchorage is a city on the edge of the wilderness. Within a half-hour drive, visitors can stand amid wild, untamed mountain peaks. In less than a half-hour walk, you can be on the bank of Ship Creek and with luck, catch a 40-pound king salmon.

For the people of Anchorage, this spectacular environment is our neighborhood. Alaska’s wildlife are our neighbors.

From our coastal bike trail you can sometimes see beluga whales. These little white whales are like mascots and we enjoy watching them chasing salmon in the Inlet’s muddy water each summer.

We’re concerned about the decline of the genetically isolated population of beluga whales in Cook Inlet.

The NOAA Fisheries Service last month proposed listing the Cook Inlet beluga as endangered, although the reasons for the whale’s decline are unknown.

I support appropriate measures to help the beluga, once scientists can find the source of the problem. We will work with NOAA to make sure the cure fits the problem.

Anchorage is a dynamic, growing community and the sea holds our future. We’re currently spending nearly $400 million to expand our port. We believe we can bring back the growth of the beluga population and continue our growth as a city.

This may be a local issue, but it resembles many of the international issues you will be working through over the next few days.

I recognize the challenge and difficulty of your work.

As you meet that challenge, I urge you to keep in mind three balancing values:
• Respect for indigenous people;
• The affection of the world’s people for the whale; and
• The need of humankind to make use of natural resources.

These three values should balance. They don’t have to conflict.

We care, because for Alaskans, the whale is more than a symbol. Whales are part of the Alaskan way of life. That’s true for many peoples around the world. But we also know the whale’s value goes beyond human uses for it.

The whale is a magnificent animal in its own right, worthy of reverence as one of God’s greatest creations.

I thank you for your commitment to these amazing animals and the profound issues they raise. I wish you good fortune and a warm welcome as you work together here in Anchorage.

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