Guest guest Report post Posted June 1, 2000 ===== A message from the 'makahwhaling' discussion list ===== FROM WASHINGTON CITIZEN'S COASTAL ALLIANCE - WHALES WIN THE MONTH: MAKAH EMPTY-HANDED THROUGH MAY May 31: Cloudy, unsettled, rough seas. NO hunting! Thanks to the on-water efforts of ODI and World Whale Police, as well as the inspired efforts of thousands upon thousands of dedicated citizens like you, May has come and gone, and the migration has passed safely! However, you can be certain that the Makah whalers will try again and again to kill SOMETHING, so stay tuned. Their so-called " Management Plan, " which has been changed so often that we have suggested they use pencils, gives them " permission " to hunt until June 30 of this year. Keep the pressure on! Call your representatives and write letters to your local newspaper. And by all mean, if you can help ODI and World Whale Police, as well as the land-based Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of whales, please do so. These groups are always in desperate need of money for fuel, food and boat repair, and this is a CRITICAL moment in the campaign. Please visit www.stopwhalekill.org for information on how you can help! ***** CONTAMINATED MARINE MAMMALS? ----------------------- [Anchorage Daily News, Alaska] On May 1, 2000, Alaska Natives reported to the International Conference on Arctic Development, Pollution, and Biomarkers of Human Health, meeting in Anchorage, AK, that they are beginning to avoid consuming traditional marine mammals due to fear these animals are contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals, and other toxins. Increasing notice of tumors, lesions, spots, and sores in wild game has been documented by the Alaska Native Science Commission in a Traditional Knowledge and Contaminant Project over the past 4 years. ***** FROM OCEAN DEFENSE INTERNATIONAL --------------------- As Ocean Defense International finishes up its direct action campaign off of the coast of WA, preventing the killing of gray whales by the Makah Nation, we will also be gearing up for a trip to the 52nd annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission. The battle to stop this illegal hunt must be fought on the front lines as well as behind the scenes. Although the IWC still to this day states they did not approve the hunt, the US claims that a back door deal is all the approval they need. However, Dr. Ray Gambell, Secretary to the IWC, stated clearly, " You will not find anywhere a formal statement from the IWC that the Makah whale hunt is legal, since it has not made such a determination. " It is now more important than ever to encourage the IWC delegates from around the world to stand up and demand a halt to this hunt - a hunt they did not sanction. It is equally important for our activists to be at the meetings to provide first hand accounts of the illegal hunt, the Coast Guards multi-million dollar use of deadly force, and the United States' blatant disregard for international law. We call upon the concerned and angered public to help our activists get to Australia at the end of June, and voice all of our outrage. We are in need of funds and/or a plane ticket (vouchers, frequent flier miles, etc...) to attend the meeting. Please get in touch ASAP if you are able to help us get to Australia, or send funds earmarked for " IWC trip " to: Ocean Defense Int'l PO Box 45275 Seattle WA 98145 Any extra funds or donations will be put directly into our 'direct action campaign fund'. Thank you for your support! ***** CANADIAN ACTIVISTS TURN UP THE HEAT -------------------------- [FROM CKNW] Activists are keeping an eye on the Makah natives in Washington state again. They have resumed their hunt for a grey whale today, the first time the Makah've been on the water since May the 12th. Anthony Marr of the group HOPE-GEO is concerned the Makah may try to avoid using a harpoon and the canoe as they try to kill a grey whale. " The monitoring by on-the-water groups like Ocean Defence International and World Whale Police has become even more important than before because there is no TV coverage today. The Washington state TV stations have been saying that they were running out of helicopter money. Without media scrutiny, the whalers would be sorely tempted to bypass the canoe and the harpoon, which have proven ineffective so far, and go straight for the .50 calibre rifle fired from a motorcraft, and the whales wouldn't have a chance. " Marr says that the Makah appear to be violating their own guideline of not targeting resident whales or mothers with calves in their migration to the Bering Sea. ***** QUOTE OF THE WEEK --------------- " A lot of our problems are the kind that can be solved by throwing money at them. " Coast Guard Commandant Admiral James M. Loy, AP Article, May 29, 2000 _______________ The simple way to read all your emails at ThatWeb http://www.thatweb.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
