LaDuke stands by the hunt but questions remain...

August 25, 2000

FROM WASHINGTON CITIZEN'S COASTAL ALLIANCE

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Sekiu, WA: 2:15pm PDT

GREEN PARTY OFFICIALLY ENDORSES MAKAH WHALING

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We are disappointed, but not surprised, to bring you the " last word " of the

Nader/LaDuke campaign on the Makah whale hunt. Their statement, a cleverly

crafted " Trojan Horse, " does its best to avert attention from the Makah

hunt, but the message is crystal clear: The Green Party presidential

campaign has enthusiastically embraced the whale killing taking place in

Washington State. The entire, unedited statement is below.

We DO commend LaDuke for pointing out the illegal whaling being conducted by

Japan and Norway, however, the content of the Green Party's statement

regarding the Makah hunt begs the question; " where did they get their

information? "

A cursory examination finds at least fifteen inconsistencies or untruths in

the statement, and space alone prevents us from addressing them point by

point. However, we are at the service of the Green Party to address each of

them, should they desire to actually research the facts and documentation

pertaining to the Makah hunt. We will however, respond to the most glaring

untruth:

1) " The International Whaling Commission, at it's last meeting continued

this practice, approving a combined 620 gray whale quota for Russian and US

aboriginals to be taken over a five year period. "

FALSE: The IWC has not approved any whaling activity by the Makah. The joint

quota to which she refers was a " back-door " deal done by the US and Russia,

which does NOT have the authority or approval of the IWC. Indeed, the

Secretary of the IWC, Dr. Ray Gambell, has repeatedly stated that " the IWC

has specifically NOT passed a judgement on he recognising or otherwise the

claim by the Makah Tribe, since the member nations were clearly unable to

agree. "

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the statement for Green Party members

is LaDuke's mention of Dr. Allen Ingling, the " veterinarian " hired by the

Makah to research methods of killing whales. Dr. Ingling (widely known as

the " Doctor of Death " ) is well-known in animal rights circles for his famous

statement of last year; " ...But boy! Do they taste good! Nothing like a

big, juicy, whaleburger. There is a restaurant in Nairobi called " The

Carnivore " where they serve every kind of meat they can get their hands on.

Chicken, lamb, mutton, beef, gnu, eland, zebra, goat, giraffe. I bet they

would love to get some whale meat. It is one of my favorite places to eat.

Yum! "

This is a sad day for many of the activists who have so bravely opposed the

illegal Makah hunt. Based on his outstanding personal history, we had always

counted on Ralph Nader to take a hard look at the facts behind this hunt. We

were wrong. The Green Party has proven with this statement that it is

already beholden to at least one special-interest group, and with the recent

surge in Native American claims for hunting in national parks, the

destruction of baby eagles for " ceremonial " purposes, and pressure from

indigenous peoples for the hunting of endangered species, we are, quite

simply, saddened by this development.

*****

PUBLIC CHALLENGE TO THE GREEN PARTY, WINONA LADUKE AND RALPH NADER

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We publicly challenge the Green Party and Nader/LaDuke campaign to produce a

single document showing that the Makah whale hunt has been approved by the

IWC. This simple (and fair) challenge should put the matter to rest. If they

can produce this document, we will completely withdraw our opposition.

However, if they can NOT produce it, the Green Party must admit that it has

just condoned whale killing in violation of international law, and by

association, federal and Washington state law.

Contact: wcca

*****

GREEN PARTY STATEMENT

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Winona LaDuke Green Party Vice Presidential

Candidate Position on Makah Whaling: August 2000

The Makah Nation, situated at Neah Bay, in what is now known as

Washington State, has thousands of years of tradition as ocean

harvesters, including fish, seals, and whales. When US Territorial

Governor Isaac Stevens arrived at Neah Bay in December of l855, he

entered into treaty negotiations for three days with Makah leaders. The

Makah made it clear to him that while they were prepared to cede their

lands to the US, they wanted a guarantee of their traditional rights on

the ocean, and specifically the right to take whales. The treaty of the

l855, ratified by the US Congress is the law of the land under the

constitution and has been upheld in the federal courts and the US

Supreme court. That treaty to the Makah is as " powerful and meaningful

a document as the US constitution is to other Americans, it is what our

forefathers bequeathed to us " . As a candidate for Vice President of the

United States, I believe that the US should abide by international law,

and honor treaties. The treaty with the Makah is the only treaty

between a Native Nation and the US government, which explicitly

guarantees a right to whale.

Indigenous peoples on a worldwide scale, are increasingly impacted by

wanton industrialization, and it's impacts on ecosystems, animal

populations, culture, and the ability of peoples to sustain themselves

with dignity. The United Nations has increasingly become concerned

about the losses of cultural diversity, and human lives in the world,

and designated, for instance decades of Indigenous peoples, and working

groups on the issues of Indigenous peoples. Prior to this, however, the

International Whaling Commission, after appeals by member nations as

well as Indigenous Nations has specifically allocated whale harvest

quotas to Indigenous peoples for the past decades, recognizing the

nutritional and specific spiritual needs of these communities to

continue their harvests. The International Whaling Commission, at it's

last meeting continued this practice, approving a combined 620 gray

whale quota for Russian and US aboriginals to be taken over a five year

period. The Makah quota is 20 whales landed over five years

(l998-2002), with no more than 33 strikes. This Makah quota did not

increase the IWC allocation, but, instead, was removed, according to

both the Makah Whaling Commission and the Northwest Indian Fisheries

Commission from the Chukotki, indigenous people from Russia, whose

annual take is l65 whales. In short, the Makah allocation, in no way

increased the subsistence allocations internationally for the harvest of

gray whales.

The Makah had taken a 70 year fast from what is one of their most

important spiritual and subsistence foods, since the industrialized

whale harvest had devastated whale populations in the eastern Pacific

herd. The decline in subsistence harvest of whale, like other

traditional foods, also decimated by industrial fishing and harvesting

has had detrimental impacts on Native communities like the Makah. Many

of these communities today have diabetes rates averaging 40% in adults,

and related nutritional problems associated with the forced rapid

transformation of indigenous diets from traditional foods to processed

foods, often called commodities and high in starch and sugars. The

impacts of these devastating health effects cannot be overstated in

Native communities, whose public health services have been entirely

underfunded (in comparison to vast expenditures on the military and

other non- human needs allocations in the federal budget). Native

health statistics and funding nationally fall far below, even the most

dire conditions in the general population. Whale meat, like other ocean

mammal meat has oils and nutritional sources which are absorbed into the

system directly, and are considered essential to the recovery of the

health of the Makah people, and other traditional Native peoples who are

ocean harvesters.

The Makah assumed that when the International Whaling Commission,

combined with the US government, estimated that the health of the

Eastern Pacific gray whale herd was well established, with at least

22,000 members, that the animal was considered " recovered " and delisted

from the Endangered Species Act in l994. It was safe therefore to resume

their traditional harvest. That harvest, while guaranteed in the treaty,

is considered a sacred right and responsibility of the Makah people. The

US government supported the Makah Nation's request for aboriginal

subsistence whaling, and sought an IWC approved quota.

The Makah whale hunt's resurrection was supported by a referendum vote

in the Makah people, in which 85% of those voting favored whaling.

Provisions for the whaling included both the use of traditional harpoons

(adapted with the best technologies), and the use of a .50 caliber

rifle, which is, considered the most humane and expedient method of

killing the animal. The Makah consulted with Dr. Allen Ingling, a

veterinarian at the University of Maryland, along with the National

Marine Mammal Laboratory, in the determination of the most humane way of

harvesting a whale, and utilized this practice simultaneous to their

traditional harvesting practice. The community also undertook the hunt

with the understanding inside the village, and with NOAA (National

Marine Fisheries Service), that there would be no commercial sale of

whale meat. The tribe further committed this in a written agreement with

NOAA, reinforced by 50CFR part 2300 which states " No person may sell, or

offer for sale, whale products from whales taken in an aboriginal

subsistence hunt, except that authentic articles of native handcraft may

be sold or offered for sale. "

The Makah whale harvest was successful, in taking of one whale in l999.

That was in spite of organized and aggressive interference by the Sea

Shepard Society, in coordination with some additional interests. The

actions of the Sea Shepard Society additionally cost the United States

Coast Guard up to perhaps $5 million in expenditures to protect the

Makah exercise of their legal rights. The whale taken is presumed to be

from the Eastern Pacific whale herd, the harvest taking place in May of

l999, just after the formal allocation of the permit from NOAA, to the

Makah Whaling Commission, and the subsequent allocation of the whaling

permit by the Makah Whaling Commission.

Based on the above information, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the

Green Party supports and will enforce the law of the United States in

honoring it's treaties, and in the protection of the Makah right to

continue their harvest of gray whales. At the same time as the Makah

exercised their treaty right, I have great concerns as to the continued

industrialized whaling practices by Norway and Japan, and the sudden

increase in massive whale mortality. I would propose measures to seek

mitigation of both these problems.

The International Whaling Commission introduced a moratorium on

commercial whaling in l986. However, Japan and Norway exploited

" loopholes " in the moratorium in order to continue their whaling

practices. Norway hunts whales commercially off its own coasts, and

Japan is pressing the IWC to allow it to do the same. In l998, Norway

hunted down some 624 whales. Using a pretext of " scientific whaling "

Japan killed 389 whales in the Southern Ocean, within the borders of the

Southern Whale Sanctuary in l999. The wholesale value of the l700 tons

of whale meat caught by the Japanese in the Antarctic was about 3

billion yen, the retail value about three times that.

I support a moratorium on commercial whaling. I also support the

expansion of whale sanctuaries including the development, initially of a

South Pacific Whale Sanctuary, as supported by Australia and New

Zealand, and a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary as proposed by Brazil at

the International Whaling Commission. I also support a Global Whale

Sanctuary and the abolition of commercial whaling.

In terms of possible whale destruction by the US Navy, I would call for

a cessation of the SURTASS LFAS Program (Surveillance Towed Array Sonar

System utilizing Low Frequency Active Sonar). This program, is a

continuation of the militarization of the ocean, and represents, not

only an excessive cost to taxpayers, in a post-cold war era, in which

the US military budgetary expenditures dwarf those of any other

" potential enemies " by at least ten fold; but represents a clear threat

to whale, dolphin and other ocean species.

The proposed military acoustic program would be a network of very high

powered sound generators placed in various places round the oceans, some

stationary, others towed behind ships. The sound generators can blast

250 decibels of noise, which is l00, 000 to one million times greater

than the loudest whale, and perhaps a billion times louder than the

subtle acoustical signals of other sea creatures. The system is designed

for the sophisticated location and long distance communication between

submarines. These sounds are the loudest sounds ever generated by

humans, with the possible exception of the noise at nuclear Ground

Zero. After almost every known Navy test, whales and dolphins show up

on beaches for " mysterious reasons " , some with bleeding eyes, damaged

and infected cochlea, and other unusual tissue damage and these are the

creatures we know about. The Navy has thus far maintained that the

strandings are only " anecdotal " , unconnected to it's testing, and

refuses to study the matter further. Based on extensive strandings in

the Canary Islands (l985, l988, l989), the Atlantic Coast (l987),

Northern California (l995, l997) British Columbia, Hawaii, US Virgin

Islands, and the Bahamas. I advocate for a complete cessation of this

program, and a study of the anecdotal data. I would advocate for this

based on a precautionary principle, in that we are not sure of the

long-term impact, but are quite aware of the present anecdotal evidence.

Furthermore, in relationship to an increase in whale beachings, and

autopsies, the reports show both increases in health problems among the

whales, " starvation " , and other mortalities, leading to the death of

perhaps an estimated 300 whales in the past year alone. These

mortalities are, according to federal studies, related largely to

ecosystem decline, contamination and overharvesting of other species.

The continued overharvesting of fish species by mass industrialized

fishing poses a greater threat to our ecosystems, and our economies by

far, than the actions of the Makah. The allocation of ITQs is based on

false ecological premises of Maximum sustainable harvests, and has been

part of the process, through which the UN today estimates that nearly

every commercial species surveyed is fully exploited, over exploited or

depleted. The total of all catches have gone from 3 million tons in

l900 to 86 million tones in l989, largely driven by the introduction of

factory trawlers. By l99l, 50 vessels of the fleet, comprised only 2.5

percent of all boats in the groundfish fisheries off Alaska that year,

yet landed l.4 million metric tones of catch, nearly three quarters of

the total. Additionally, almost 70% of that which is caught is tossed

back dead into the ocean as " bycatch " , considered waste, but, is a total

waste of life to all those fish. As well, one third of all fish caught

by the factory trawlers is reduced to fish meal, to produce for hogs,

and chickens, and represents a total loss of protein potential for the

world's peoples, many of whom live on the brink of starvation.

The overharvesting and devastation of our oceans indicated by

industrialized fishing destroys all of this life, offsets potential

income for family fishers, and is a whole part of the mismanagement of

the world's oceans. For the first time ever, the total ocean fish catch

has begun to decline. I support conservation measures, including no

fishing zones, to restore fish stocks in the world, some of which are

nearing spirals toward extinction. All of these measures represent the

necessary steps for the future of our communities, our relatives, and

our planet.

*****

PERTINENT QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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Interviewer: " You're saying that if a way could be found to sell it [whale

meat] legally, you would sell it?

Makah whaler Micah McCarty: " That's something that, you know, we can't

necessarily rule out. If it will benefit our people and it can be done in a

just way, then I don't see why not. "

KCTS interview, October 21, 1998

*****

THEY SAID IT

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" It's the crack cocaine of the north. Once you've tasted it, you want more. "

Bill Doidge, Biologist and Director of the Nunavik Research Centre in

Kuujjuaq, on beluga whales killed by Inuit natives.