Two centuries ago, gray whales migrating north past Neah Bay in Washington State were met with the harpoons of Makah tribal whalers. The killing, done from cedar canoes with wooden harpoons, was a tradition. The gray whale provided the Makahs with whale oil to trade; it made them a rich, prosperous people. Over time, the gray whale's numbers dwindled. Then, for many decades, the killing stopped. This October, 76-years after the last whale was killed, Makah Whaling Commission (MWC) members have announced that they will begin “harvesting” gray whales in Washington’s Olympic National Marine Sanctuary. Using the words "harvest" or "hunt" is wrong. It softens the impact of what will undoubtedly be a slaughter -- a slaughter that will ring loudly, far beyond the US coastline. Paddlers, environmentalists, wilderness users and anyone with an interest in the outdoors should be concerned about this slaughter. It will signal an international escalation of illegal commercial whaling, while MWC members falsely describe this hunt as a ‘method to reclaim lost traditions’. But this hunt will not be conducted by traditional methods -- it will be a highly technological hunt, supported by pirate whaling nations -- primarily Japan and Norway -- which have furtively promoted this hunt and many other similar ‘indigenous’ initiatives the world over. By covertly lobbying in Russia, by granting ‘fisheries development aid” in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and by funding a whaling public relations office in Port Alberni, British Columbia, the pro-whaling nations are eager to see indigenous groups win a whaling quota under “culturally justified” arguments. It would open a new era of whaling by any culture -- first world, First Nations or third world -- that traditionally killed whales -- whether for commercial reasons or otherwise. And this October, with the support of the US government (who provided the whalers with over $250,000 of taxpayers funds to lobby internationally for this hunt) the Makah whalers will begin their hunt. Not surprisingly, at least 44 members of Congress have publicly condemned this hunt, and while the entire Washington State Senate has spoken out legislatively against this hunt, the US Department of Commerce, in an effort to uphold an ancient treaty that even the tribal elders dispute, continues to fund the whalers with tax dollars. So with the force of a federal agency behind them, the MWC may have achieved the right to kill whales. If they do, whales all over the world, and the people who consider them a crucial, protected component of our marine wilderness, will be the losers. As paddlers and environmentalists, we oppose this hunt because it is clearly not about indigenous rights, nor is it about reclaiming a lost native tradition. According to the many Makah tribal elders who also oppose this new hunt, no effort is being made to adhere to historic Makah traditions. This Octobers’ Makah whale hunt will be carried out by .50 caliber rifles, fired from motorboats. MWC have also imported the expertise of an Alaskan Eskimo whaling captain, and scuba divers will be deployed to retrieve shot whales. Certainly not the traditional ways the Makah once killed gray whales. And when the first gray whale is killed in October, Canada’s Nuu-Chah-Nulth nations (representing 14 coastal Vancouver Island tribes) have announced that they will also start whaling. The Japanese have declared that the Makah whale hunt, when it begins, will mean that, they too, should be allowed to award domestic quotas for orca, minke, fin and sperm whale, to their villages along the Taiji coast. This is just the beginning. Greenland, Russia, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Canada and many other nations will also pursue new whaling quotas. As paddlers, we all derive a lot of enjoyment from the waters we recreate in. While we all may have distinct regional concerns, this October’s slaughter needs to be considered in a global sense. Beyond the prospect of whales being killed in the northwest, beyond the possibility that wounded gray whales may become aggressive to kayaks and other small crafts along the entire west coast, we very rarely have the opportunity to make a direct contribution back to the waters we cherish and to protect the creatures therein. Contact your Congressional representative, make donations to those organisations opposing the MWC hunt, but most importantly, get involved in this issue and join efforts to prevent the hunt. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and ‘In The Path Of Giants’ will have their powered vessels and kayaks stationed offshore. Our goal is to have hundreds of kayaks stationed within the protected waters of Neah Bay this October 1st, when the hunt is scheduled to happen. Our goal is to impede the whalers from leaving the harbor and to draw worldwide media attention to the plight of whales the world over. We are convinced that, only when the eyes of the world are focused in on Neah Bay and this internationally significant issue meets its rightful international audience, will the whales have a chance. We want your support. Please contact either Steph Dutton or Michael Kundu if you can join us on this important effort to prevent the return to coastal whaling worldwide. Join us in Neah Bay this October -- come prepared to camp, to paddle and most importantly come to save lives. Do not let the voice of the gray whale become silent again. Michael Kundu, Pacific Northwest Director Sea Shepherd Conservation Society www.seashepherd.org seashepherd_at_seashepherd.org Steph Dutton, Team Leader “In the Path of Giants” www.graywhale.net Stepheid_at_ix.netcom.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Jul 21 1998 - 13:20:13 PDT
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