Dear Activists and Concerned Citizens:
On Saturday, September 8th, 2007, the Washington State Indian tribe known as the “Makah”, brutally slaughtered a GENTLE & TRUSTING resident Gray whale. This despicable act took place without the necessary permit from the National Marine Fisheries Service and in direct violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Makah Treaty of 1855, preserves the Indian tribe’s right to whale, however, after killing a female, juvenile Gray whale in 1999, the Makah have been in the midst of court challenges brought by animal rights groups. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals twice ruled the tribe must procure a “waiver” from MMPA, before being allowed to legally continue whaling. Permission was/is PENDING until the waiver is granted. The Makah broke U.S. federal laws by viciously attacking [harpooning and shooting] this whale without the necessary federal authority to do so. According to observers, it took 10 hours of agonizing suffering for this poor creature to die…its body has yet to be recovered.
Three of the five tribesmen perpetrating this cowardly act, were members of the Makah’s own WHALING COMMISSION.
Yet, Makah Elders [who sit on the same board] maintain they had no prior knowledge of this planned atrocity.
This killing was a contemptuous, inflammatory act carried out by individuals who enjoy HIGH RANKING POSITIONS within the Makah tribe. As such, the tribe’s whaling rights under Article 4 of the 1855 Makah Treaty should, and MUST be permanently REVOKED.
Much is at stake here. If the Makah are granted their waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act it means they will be allowed to continue whaling forever–TORTURING & KILLING up to 5 Gray whales each year!!
We are petitioning NOAA; asking that the agency permanently STRIP Makah whaling rights for the following reasons:
A) The Makah Treaty of 1855; [specifically Article 4, which allows the tribe to whale], is a 152 year old document; one which pre-dates the AMERICAN CIVIL WAR BY 6 YEARS, and is therefore no longer relevant; anymore than the past ‘traditions’ of slavery, cannibalism or the ritualistic murders of innocents as offerings to the “Gods”.
B) The Makah claim of ’subsistence’ whaling [under the International Whaling Commission’s criteria] is obviously false. You can not “subsist” on whales that your tribe has not hunted for over 70 years.
C) The Makah right to whaling on a ‘cultural’ basis is no longer true or applicable. In the hunt of 1999 the tribe availed itself of speed boats; cell phones; Coast Guard cutters; “spotters” from helicopters; high powered rifles and machine guns to bring down their prey. The traditional long boats and spears used by their ancestors played a minor and incidental role in the kill. From a “traditional” standpoint, the methods employed were solidly 21st century…and a complete travesty of Makah ancient whaling practices. [It should also be noted that when the 1999 “hunt” was complete, the Makah people (other than a few elders who tasted one or two strips of flesh) left 99.9% of this whale’s body to ROT on the beach].
D) Whale populations are being depleted at an alarming rate. Pollution, global warming, dwindling food sources, ship strikes, disease, sonar disturbances and rogue whaling worldwide, have all taken a devastating toll on a species capable of producing only one calf, per adult female, per year. No ONE group should be exempt from the global responsibility we ALL share for ensuring the continued survival of our whales. Scientists have recently admitted to miscalculating the ’success’ of the Gray whales’ return from the brink of extinction. They have observed several ’skinny’ Gray whales and conclude that their food sources may be rapidly declining due to global warming.
E) The Makah’s cousins, members of the Maa-nulth First Nations, who reside on the Western shores of Vancouver Island have signed an agreement with the Canadian government in which they will honor a 25 year moratorium of their whaling rights. In return, they were given generous concessions of land and cash. If the Makah are genuinely interested in “honoring” whales, they must be committed to allowing them to live in peace and safety; while helping improve the quality of life for all Makah by increasing financial and educational opportunities for their people.
At a time when the world is faced with multiple species extinction; pollution; global warming and rapidly dwindling natural resources, eliminating ALL whaling is the only ethical, moral and ecologically responsible decision to uphold.
Please SIGN THE PETITION [and contact the individuals listed below] Demand permanent revocation of Makah whaling rights, now! These whales belong to ALL OF US, and we must not sit back and watch as a privileged few destroy them!
NOAA ADMINISTRATOR:
Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher
Email: conrad.c.lautenbacher@noaa.gov
ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR:
[National Marine Fisheries Service]
Bill Hogarth
Email: bill.hogarth@noaa.gov
Secretary of Commerce
Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20230
Email: cgutierrez@doc.gov
Phone: (202) 482-2000
NMFS: Northwest Region
Bob Lohn
Northwest Regional Administrator
Office of Protected Resources
National Marine Fisheries Service
7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115-0070
Email: bob.lohn@noaa.gov
Phone: (206) 526-6150
WANT TO HELP STOP WHALING COMPLETELY? PLEASE GO TO:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/194508729
BUT, FIRST…ARM YOURSELF WITH KNOWLEDGE AND READ ON!
MAKAH WHALING FACTS:
A) A petition by the Makah Tribe successfully REMOVED the Gray Whale from the U.S. Endangered Species list in 1994. [Scientists studying Gray whales, today, report their numbers as increasingly endangered.]
B) The Clinton Administration chose to SUPPORT Makah whaling instead of the U.S. backed international treaty banning hunting; of which America is a signatory. Through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and others, Clinton gave the Makah tribe $335,000 [taxpayer money] to create their own TRIBAL WHALING COMMISSION. We, the U.S. taxpayers, [via the Clinton Administration] also hired the public relations firm of Miller and Associates; as well as flew Makah to France, New Zealand, Oman, and Alaska to plead their case to the International Whaling Commission. [The IWC rejected the Makah whaling request saying they did not meet the requirements under the ‘cultural’ OR ’subsistence’ criteria set forth by the IWC].
C) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], part of the Dept. of Commerce, has given the Makah tribe several hundred thousand dollars. The then head of NOAA, D. James Baker, traveled to International Whaling Commission meetings in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1996, and to Monte Carlo, Monaco in 1997, to argue the Makah case for their resumption of whaling. When it became apparent that the IWC was not going to approve the Makah request in 1997, it was Baker who ultimately helped broker a back-room deal with Russia, which allowed the Makah to take a portion of the Russian Gray whale subsistence quota. [The IWC, to this day, has NEVER given permission to the Makah to whale…international law supercedes Makah’s U.S. treaty rights].
D) The Makah tribe’s TRUE interest in whaling has nothing to do with culture or tradition. They are attempting to use their whaling right under the 1855 Treaty, to leverage themselves into a lucrative commercial whaling deal with the Japanese.
Makah leaders have been quoted widely as saying that they either intend to sell Gray whale meat to Japan, or at least reserve the right to sell the meat. [A clear violation of the IWC moratorium].
E) Makah have met with [and have ties to] Japan’s Maruha Co., [Maruha is one of three massive fishing conglomerates
(including Nissui & Kyokuyo); who own 7 fish processing plants in the Pacific Northwest region alone…and several hundred more globally]. Maruha, Nissui and Kyokuyo ARE the whaling industry in Japan. Together they have killed over 1/2 million whales since WWII. Recently these companies (under pressure from threatened seafood boycotts) ‘divested’ their whaling stock; to appease growing outrage at Japan’s continued refusal to abide by international law and honor the ongoing whaling moratorium. However, their whaling stock was simply transferred to the “Institute of Cetacean Research”…a “front” organization owned by the Japanese government; who has long claimed their whaling is for ’scientific research’…yet the whale meat is sold throughout Japan. Kyokuyo reaps millions from this slaughter as it provides the whaling ships AND manufactures/packages and distributes the meat as well. [ Initiating consumer seafood boycotts against Maruha, Nissui and Kyokuyo COULD QUICKLY, EFFECTIVELY AND PERMANENTLY BRING AN END TO JAPANESE WHALING!…it would also, almost certainly, dry up any serious opportunity for the Makah dream of successfully selling whale meat].
F) The Makah tribe’s low-profile meetings/relationship with Maruha does INDEED signal the future intent for the tribe to process and sell whale meat to Maruha, who [as stated before] already has established processing plants in the Seattle area. [Both the processing and selling of whale meat outside of the Makah reservation is a DIRECT VIOLATION of their 1855 Treaty].
G) To date, over 5 MILLION U.S. TAX DOLLARS have been spent on subsidizing the Makah Tribe’s “right” to hunt whales.
NOTE: The Makah continue to petition U.S. Fisheries to subsidize their whaling. Their latest request? A ship which would cost taxpayers ONE MILLION DOLLARS. The request was denied. It is believed that the tribe intended to use it for ILLEGAL whaling, outside of their territorial waters and out of view of state & federal officials.
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STOP WHALING, WORLDWIDE–RIGHT NOW:
1) Stop buying seafood–immediately and permanently. The global slaughter of marine mammals is driven, and carried out by the COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY. Every whaler, sealer and dolphin killer around the world, makes their living from the sale of SEAFOOD. Dropping ALL seafood products from your diet means you will no longer be supporting their bloody, barbarous trades.
2) Notify the top whaling countries [Japan, Norway and Iceland] that family, friends, groups, etc. are dumping seafood from their diet. A BOYCOTT IS NOT EFFECTIVE UNLESS THE TARGETS KNOW THEY ARE BEING BOYCOTTED. Each of these countries depends heavily on seafood exports for their survival. Japan’s Maruha, Nissui & Kyokuyo depend nearly exclusively on seafood sales. [They have killed more whales, than any ONE group on planet Earth!]
Please take time to email each one of these butchers…let them know you will NOT be supporting their blood-splattered industries by eliminating ALL seafood and choosing other vacation destinations.
*** JAPAN ***
[The following companies are responsible for the murder of over 1/2 million whales…death toll still rising sharply. You support their wealth (and whale killing) every time you buy seafood–they are GLOBAL giants in the fishing industry.]
This year’s kill quotas: 1,060 whales [a figure that is in reality, MUCH HIGHER due to the murders of pregnant females]…including many endangered species! This slaughter is scheduled to begin in Dec. within the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary! You can END IT by boycotting seafood & WRITING to inform Maruha, Nissui & Kyokuyo you will NOT support their butchery!!
NOTE: These companies will respond by saying they are no longer connected to whaling. THIS IS A BLATANT LIE!!! Their company CEO’s sit on the board of Japanese Fisheries [pro-whaling] and each year vote to reinstate commercial whaling within the International Whaling Commission. They support, and have direct and influential ties to the infamous Japanese ‘Institute of Cetacean Research’ which is BEHIND ALL WHALING IN JAPAN!!
Orca Bay Seafoods [MARUHA]
info@orcabayfoods.com
Gorton’s (seafood) [NISSUI]
info@gortons.com
[KYOKUYO] (Builds whaling ships / markets whale meat/ markets seafood)
USA: kamec@kyokuyoamerica.com
EUROPE: info@kyokuyo-eu.com
*** NORWAY ***
[ Second only to Japan in killing whales. First in the world for killing seals–Norway is responsible for 80% of the annual Canadian seal slaughter. Tens of millions have died…death toll, ongoing.]
MINISTRY OF FISHERIES & COASTAL AFFAIRS [Makes whaling/sealing policies]
postmottak@fkd.dep.no
NORWEGIAN SEAFOOD EXPORT COUNCIL: [They’ll be happy to hear you’re boycotting seafood]
postmottak@seafood.no
NORWEGIAN TOURIST BOARD [Bye-bye! Norway, until your marine mammals are protected by law]
norway@ntr.no
*** ICELAND ***
[Has temporarily suspended whale slaughter because there is no market for the meat. Plans to resume killing in the very near future.] Iceland depends heavily on seafood exports & tourism to survive…let them know you won’t support either, until they pass laws protecting their whales.
PERMANENT SECRETARY OF FISHERIES
Mr. Jón B. Jónasson
E-mail: jon.b.jonasson@sjr.stjr.is
ICELANDIC TOURISM BOARD
E-mail: info@icetourist.is
