Whaling Convention Amendments Act of 2008 - Amends the Whaling Convention Act of 1949 to require the Secretary of Commerce to authorize aboriginal subsistence whaling if it: (1) is for subsistence purposes (including the sale of authentic native articles of handicrafts and clothing); (2) does not include the striking, taking, or killing of calves or any whale accompanied by a calf; and (3) is not accomplished in a wasteful manner.
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish catch limits for the Alaska Native aboriginal subsistence hunt of bowhead whales for any year or set of years if: (1) the International Whaling Commission has failed to adopt applicable catch limits; and (2) the biological status of the affected bowhead stock or stocks is such that, based on the most recent review of their status by the Scientific Committee of the Commission, the aboriginal subsistence needs request submitted to the Commission by the United States for that year or set of years is sustainable.