Those are marked on that page as "Aboriginal subsistence catches": "In some parts of the world, whale products play an important role in the nutritional and cu

Those are marked on that page as "Aboriginal subsistence catches": "In some parts of the world, whale products play an important role in the nutritional and cultural life of native peoples. Four IWC member countries conduct aboriginal subistence hunts today: Denmark (Greenland), Russia (Chukotka), St Vincent and the Grenadines (Bequia) and the United States (Alaska and also potentially a resumption of hunts previously undertaken by the Makah Tribe of Washington State)." https://iwc.int/aboriginal https://iwc.int/aboriginal Looks like they manage allocations based on whale populations. The gray whale's conservation status is marked as "Least Concern". The article submitted to HN notes that grey whales are fairly numerous, and I'd say these recent incidents are a canary-in-coal-mine scenario.