Bowhead whaling tragedy stuns Bering Strait community

SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS SERVICE

The St. Lawrence Island village of Gambell, population 650, was grieving last week after four residents, including two children and the mayor, died when their skin-covered whaling boat capsized while helping tow home a bowhead in the overnight darkness.

Two other crewmen survived.

“It’s a tragic day for Gambell,” whaler Merlin Koonooka told the Anchorage Daily News by telephone. “The whole village is in kind of a shock right now.”

Mayor Jason Nowpakahok, 38, along with his 11-year-old daughter, Yolanda Nowpakahok, and his 11-year-old nephew, Leonard Nowpakahok died.

The loss of the whalers raises the need for more awareness about marine safety.

Alaska’s “Kids Don’t Float” project, which provides life jackets and educational materials, established programs in Gambell and neighboring Savoonga last year.

But whalers object to using the flotation devices. Some models are too heavy, especially when worn under or over the thick clothing needed to keep warm on a whale hunt. The better ones cost hundreds of dollars, an expense borne by the captains of each crew. And many are simply the wrong color and could scare off whales.