An objective has been to establish a procedure for the timely collection of tissue samples for morphological and microbiological evaluation. The whales are harvested by Eskimo hunters in northern Alaska. Sampling materials and preservative are transported via snow machine and sled to the butchering site, usually out on the ice with ambient temperatures well below freezing. Major difficulties include locating the butchering site in a timely manner and the inadvertent freezing of tissues and preservatives. Since the fall of 1978, 13 animals have been examined with a wide range of samples collected. In order to adequately sample a whale being butchered for food, a tissue collection team should consist of 3 - 4 people, each with a good knowledge of; comparative anatomy, the Eskimo procedure for dismembering the whale, specimen handling techniques under extreme conditions and traveling over sea ice. Access to the whale for detailed sampling is only gained through extensive personal contact with the Eskimo hunters.