Stunning news from Washington STate - the whaling state

April 9, 2002

===== A message from the 'makahwhaling' discussion list =====

FROM WASHINGTON CITIZENS' COASTAL ALLIANCE

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THE WEIRD GETS WEIRDER...

New look for Makah whaling program: poorly written action novel

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Folks, there is a LOT of behind-the-scenes activity this week... In a rather

stunning series of events, the Makah Whaling Commission has been shut down,

the future whaling activities of the Makah Tribe have been folded into the

Makah Natural Resources Department, the Makah have fielded a full canoe of

paddlers for the first time in who knows how long, and the Seattle TV

stations are starting to rev up their engines for any impending hunt...

Speaking of which, spies tell us an attempt may come at any time... we'll

certainly keep you posted, minute-by-minute...

This may be THE update to read for you to understand the tone being set this

year...

First of all, the Makah Tribal Council has voted 4-1 AGAINST funding the

Makah Whaling Commission. A number of factors have contributed to the demise

of the Commission, namely; 1) Continued pressure from people like you on the

federal government for the continued waste of tax dollars in funding this

private little trophy-hunting club, 2) Internal division within the

Makah Tribe itself, and 3) Lack of success marketing themselves as a

non-profit (!!!) organization to the public-at-large.

Next item...

COMING VERY SOON! Saturday marks the first day of protest this year against

the Makah whale hunt here in Sekiu, and it has already taken on a life of

its own.

At this moment, groups in Washington, California, Canada, Germany and

elsewhere are planning SIMULTANEOUS protests, and we encourage YOU to take

part, as well! At 12:00 noon (PDT) this coming Saturday, show your colors!

Can't make it to Sekiu for the road protest? No problem! Wherever you are,

if you are interested in taking part in this Saturday's international

protest against the U.S. government's Makah whaling policies, contact us at

wcca. We'll put you in touch other like-minded folks who are

just about fed up with this stuipid hunt. Let's make a statement to the U.S.

government that can not be ignored!

*****

FROM U.S. CITIZENS AGAINST WHALING

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We have just learned that the Makah have been out practicing in the canoe

all day today. They had a full crew of 8. Rumors are flying that they intend

to hunt next week.

PLEASE come PROTEST the slaughter of these majestic creatures in a National

Marine Sanctuary, paid for with U.S. tax dollars.

On Saturday, April 13th at noon there will be a land protest at " the rock "

in Sekiu. Please join Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of Whales, U.S.

Citizens Against Whaling, Ocean Defense International, World Whale Police

and WCCA in a PROTEST against a cruel slaughter.

For more information contact Sandy at grwhales or

206-361-0736.

Sandra Abels

U.S. Citizens Against Whaling

" Saving Our Oceans One Whale At A Time "

www.usagainstwhaling.org

*****

SOON TO BREAK: MAKAH LEADERS FORCING HUNT THROUGH AT ALL COSTS

Social, infrastructure programs suffer as handful of " radical " whalers

prosper

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This has to be one of our most important developing stories to date on this

issue. Some time ago, we made a decision to contact as many Makah tribal

members as we could in order to get their responses to a number of

whaling-related questions.

Since that time, we have spoken with a surprisingly large number of Makah

tribal members. Once our efforts became known, many of them contacted US to

share their feelings! Some were shocked by what they've heard, and we are

equally shocked by the answers they've given.

We are quite confident in stating that a majority of Makah tribal members

have no idea what their leadership has done in single-mindedly pursuing this

hunt. Further, it seems that a majority of Makah tribal members have far

more in common with those OPPOSED to whaling than the small band of

extremists who now make up the hard-core whale killing contingent. And when

we say small, we mean small!

We are currently working hard on this story, but can not post all of the

results until we are certain that they reflect FACT, not fiction. One thing

IS certain: even as the federal government and the Tribal Council profess

" unity " behind Makah whaling ambitions, a growing MAJORITY of Makah tribal

members have had just about enough of this insane waste of tax dollars and

power-mongering by a handful of " elite " tribal leaders. (Yes, we said

MAJORITY!)

We hope to have a complete picture for you shortly, but please be patient!

Gathering documentation takes time, and various governmental agencies are

not exactly thrilled to be sharing this information... plus, this is done

entirely on our own time and dime!

*****

LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE WEEK

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Peninsula Daily News

Friday, April 5, 2002

WHALE MISTREATMENT

The PDN ran a March 28 front-page photo of a mother gray whale attempting to

save her calf from an orca attack. The calf is clearly terrified.

This is the same look of terror that will be on the face of every whale,

young or old, that finds itself being pursued, harpooned and shot at by the

Makah whalers.

Because these events occur in the water, there is a persistent illusion that

it is clean and humane. An analogy may be useful in dispelling this

misconception.

An on-land equivalent of these impending whale hunts would be this:

A truckload of hunters pulls into a field where cows are peacefully grazing.

The truck sidles up to an unsuspecting cow and a barbed spear (attached by a

rope to the truck's front bumper) is rammed into the cow's side.

As gunshots blast, the terrified and wounded animal attempts to flee, but is

forced to pull the truck along with it, as additional spears and bullets

slam into its back and head.

The cow somehow keeps towing the truck for 10 long minutes, bleeding and

bellowing in pain and panic until it finally falls dead.

Would we tolerate such a brutal harvesting of a cow? Absolutely not. Why

then should whales endure this torture?

I will continue to protest the open pipeline of taxpayer dollars that

facilitates this inhumane hunt, money that has flowed down the tube to,

among other things, send whalers to conventions around the world, pay the

salaries of whaling managers, and to send our stretched-to-the-limit Coast

Guard to cluster its boats around the whole mess.

Margaret Owens,

Joyce, WA

*****

HEY! AT LEAST SHE KEEPS US ENTERTAINED!

Monica Charles named " Honorary anti-whaler " by local activists

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" I consider Seashepherd (sic), WCCA, PCPW and all the other alphabet soup

organizations to be hate groups. If you were Indian, facing these people,

you would know that this isn't about saving whales. It is about hate. "

Monica Charles

Port Angeles, WA, from an e-mail of April 6, 2002

(Author of numerous confusing, illiterate and factually-challenged 'letters

to the editor'.)

(WCCA note:) Monica, we love you! But we hate seeing whales killed, whether

by Norwegians, Japanese, Makahs or creatures from Jupiter. Race has nothing

to do with it! P.S: Does your term " alphabet soup organizations " also

include the NAACP, AIM, CIA, PLO, AMA, NMFS, IRS or <insert your favorite

group here>?

With a big hug,

All of us who love whales!

*****

BONUS ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

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Grey whale hunting set to start off Washington coast

The Makah nation receives permission to kill 5 whales per year

Nicholas Read

Vancouver Sun

Wednesday, April 03, 2002

The Makah nation of northwest Washington state says it has two crews ready

to begin hunting of grey whales as soon as the weather permits. While the

tribe has permission to kill up to five whales a year, no more than two are

expected to be killed this year.

An official with the Makah nation of northwest Washington, says his tribe

may start hunting grey whales in Juan de Fuca Strait as early as this week.

Arnie Hunter, vice-president of the Makah Whaling Council, said there are

two crews ready to go as soon as the weather permits.

" It could happen at any time, " Hunter said. " One morning we might wake up

and say, 'Let's go,' and we'll be gone. "

The Makah has received permission from the U.S. government and the

International Whaling Commission to kill up to five whales a year until next

year, but Hunter says it will only kill as many of the 15-metre giants as

the tribe needs.

" It depends on what the people can manage and what they need. "

He expects no more than two to be killed each year.

The last time the Makah killed a grey whale was in 1999. That hunt caused a

storm of protest and prompted numerous lawsuits that prevented the Makah

from hunting again until now.

In January of this year, another petition was filed in U.S. district court

in Seattle on behalf of 17 individuals and animal-welfare groups, including

the Fund for Animals and the Humane Society of the U.S., calling for a

suspension of the hunt until a full-scale environmental assessment is

performed.

" [The hunt] could have a tremendously detrimental impact on the local

resident population, " said Kim Ockene, the U.S. lawyer acting for the

plaintiffs.

She says in granting a permit to the Makah, the U.S. National Marine

Fisheries Service performed only a cursory study of the situation and a far

more comprehensive analysis is warranted.

She also says it's " appalling that the Makah are planning to go out and hunt

whales before the litigation is resolved. "

Canadian zoologist and whale specialist Jim Darling agrees that a hunt could

have significant environmental consequences.

Darling, who studies whales off the coast of Vancouver Island, says that of

the 26,000 or so grey whales that migrate from Mexico to the Bering Sea each

year, about 200 to 300 never travel that far north. Instead, they spend

their summers in waters north of California and south of Alaska, including

the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

In fact, he says, it's possible that the whales that summer in the strait

could number as few as 20 to 30. Scientists simply don't know.

So, he says, for the Makah to kill even five whales from a population of

only 20 to 30 animals could have significant implications for that

population.

" We know nothing about the social organization of grey whales, so when one

starts to take individuals out of a small population, we have no idea what

the impact will be, " Darling said.

Hunter says the whales will be killed by tribal members in two boats, one a

traditional canoe and the other a high-speed chase boat that will tow the

canoe to the hunting area.

The whale will be shot first by a 50-calibre rifle, and then harpooned as

many as six times. The harpoons will have floats attached to them, he said,

to keep the whale from sinking.

He says the Makah want to hunt whales for traditional and ceremonial

reasons. He adds that the meat will be eaten by members of the tribe and the

whale's skeleton will be used as raw material by local carvers.

Not all members of the tribe agree that a hunt is ethical, however. Alberta

Thompson lost her job at a Makah seniors' home for speaking out against it

in 1996. She hasn't changed her mind.

" We're not hungry people, " she said from her home in Neah Bay. " [The tribe]

has told the world we need to whale to survive, but we don't.

" They say it's tradition, but none of our forefathers was ever towed out

into the ocean with a great big gun. "

There are about 1,500 members of the Makah tribe, and Thompson says she

knows that many of them agree with her. But they are too afraid to say

anything about it for fear of losing their jobs, she says.