URGENT, COMMENTS ON MAKAH WHALING.

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MAKAH ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

 

CUT OFF DAY : FEB 16, 2001

 

Please send your COMMENTS no later than February 12, 2001

 

 

Sample letter enclosed below :

 

Public Comments to be sent to:

 

Gail Heim

Office of Protected Resources NOAA Fisheries

1315 East-West Highway

Silver Springs, Md 20910

U.S.A.

 

 

Dear Madam :

 

I am writing to you to ask you and your colleagues to use your

power and wisdom to strongly oppose any and all harm from

occurring to any species of marine mammals, particularly

whales in American coast waters, and more specifically, those

who migrate by the Washington coast.

 

The Makah people has not hunted whales for more than 70 years

until recently. There is no need nor cultural excuse for tolerance

of this atrocities to continue being perpetrated against this

majestic, intelligent, sentient beings.

 

" Norway and Japan, traditional whaling nations that oppose the

Whaling Commission's ban on whale hunting, are giving the tribal

leaders their full support because they believe the Makah

request could yield the precedent they need to resume commercial

whaling at full capacity. Meanwhile, there have been reports that

the Makah elders who oppose the whaling request have been

harassed and told to keep silent by younger tribal leaders. "

(see Referece # 1 and 2 )

 

" We told the Makah that a gray whale was worth $1 million on the

Japanese market. For years [the U.S. has] voted 'no' to Japanese

coastal whaling. Now the U.S. is asking us to vote 'yes' for

American coastal whaling. Once [the Makah] win the right to kill

whales in the U.S. for cultural reasons, the IWC will be obligated

to recognize Japanese whaling as cultural also. We will have them

where we want them. " said Tadahiko Nakamura, Japanese IWC

delegation personal communication to Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd

staff members, & Dr. Paul Spong, Monaco, Oct. 22, 1997

(See reference # 1 and 3 )

 

Since July, 2000, Japan set for 574 tons of whale meat sold in

the commercial market. Some 181 tons meat will be sold directly

to comsumers, while the remainder will be sold to food-processing

companies that will convert them into whale meat products.

The 574-ton meat haul was taken from a catch of 40 MINKE whales,

43 BRYDE whales and five SPERM whales, said the Institute of

Cetacean Research, an entity representing for Japanese whale hunters.

(see Reference # 4 ).

 

The Makah hunt is an arm of Japan's whaling. Japan funded

and encouraged the Makah hunt. It's Japan's way of encouraging

indigenous peoples to go whaling furthering their cause.

As you can see in the past, Japan encouraged other peoples to

join the IWC to outnumber the anti-whaling countries. It is a

systematic formula to return the whaling and the Makah are

pawns in it. We must break Japanese systematic network

towards future Commercial Whaling .

 

 

The immidiate most important step in the United States is to STOP

KILLING WHALES at U.S. coast lines. Makah hunt is as

important as Japan's killing. The Makah and Nu-Chah-Nulth are

simply part of the Japanese whaling network working to push for

" COMMERCIAL WHALING " .

 

Anti-whaling campaigners refuted Japanese claims that whales die

instantly from explosive harpoons fired into the brain with videos

showing minke whales THRASHING IN BLOODY WATER

for up to 20 minutes before dying. (see Reference # 5 )

 

Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of the American people

are strongly opposed to this cruel, unethical killing of great whales.

To allow this barbarities to continue in the U.S. is tragic for our

democracy and degrading the morality and ethics of the United

States as the MORAL LEADER AND POLICE in the world !

 

 

Sincerely:

 

YOUR NAME:

ADDRESS:

CITY/ZIP:

TELEPHONE:

E-MAIL:

 

Important references :

 

1: http://www.seashepherd.org/issues/whales/makahhunt1200.html

 

" WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MAKAH HUNT. "

 

2: Aaron Sachs, " Eco-Justice: Linking Human Rights and

the Environment, " Worldwatch Paper 127, Worldwatch Institute

 

 

3: Tadahiko Nakamura, Japanese IWC delegation personal

communication to Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd staff members,

& Dr. Paul Spong, Monaco, Oct. 22, 1997

 

 

4: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20010131b4.htm

News from Japan Times.

 

5: Tokyo AFP , Asia News , Feb. 1, 2001.

" New whaling row as Japan protests proposals to

check whalemeat DNA " .

 

 

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Thanks so much for your kindness, compassion and help.