Having a whale of a time - PHOTO

The giant bowhead whale was brought ashore in Barrow, Alaska bringing the community to a standstill and maintaining a tradition that has stretched back thousands of years.Inupiat fishermen take their small vessels out into the grey waters of the Chukchi Sea during the autumn season.Once ashore in the frozen city - as far north as you can go in the United States - residents flock to help in the work of divvying up.In this case, the whaling captain had sent word of his catch with a euphoric message over a radio in which he said 'Hey, hey, hey!'The signal is heard in nearly every home in the city.As children slide down the whale's slippery side, officials inspect the catch and ensure the hunters have followed international guidelines to keep traditional whaling on a subsistence scale for native communities.The skin and blubber, known as muktuk, is prized by the Inupiat, and often eaten frozen. The community says the catch helps them feed their families in the town where produce such as watermelons that are flown in cost as much as $20 each at the local grocery.North winds will blow.

Bakudaily.Az