And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: via Na-Forum Makahs return from second hunt without whale; Coast Guard seizes four protest boats http://www.seattletimes.com/news/local/html98/whal_19990516.html by Lynda V. Mapes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> and Chris Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Seattle Times staff reporters See web page for photo. ON THE PACIFIC OCEAN - Makah Whalers tried twice to harpoon a gray whale in their ancestral hunting grounds here on the vast bright sea, but each time the whales dove to safety. Nonetheless, the harpoons hit the heart of the tiny Makah reservation, where the tribe hopes the hunt will revive its ancient whaling culture. The whaling crew stalked the great gray whale hour after hour yesterday, in only their second hunt after a hiatus of 70 years. With each stroke of their wooden paddles it seemed the crew became whalers. There was a slow dance with the whales as the hunters moved in closely, slow, and stealthily in a hand-carved cedar canoe to attack their prey. They watched for the wake of bubbles that would bloom to a burst of spray, blown by the whale. Then they stabbed at the water with their paddles, shooting toward their prey. At least one chase boat was always nearby, with whaling captain Wayne Johnson ready with two rifles powerful enough to pierce armor. The guns were to be used to finish off the whale only if the crew could sink the harpoon into its barnacled back first. Each time the whale would surface, so close, and the harpooner would stand gauging the distance. His first throw came the closest. It was difficult to tell whether the harpoon actually struck the whale. The second harpoon, thrown from the kneeling position, didn't come so near. Anti-whaling activists put up a spirited and brave fight, with nearly every one of their attempts to block the hunt resulting in the intervention and seizure of their boats by the Coast Guard. A lone jet skier first tried harrying the whaling crew before dashing off over the waves. Lisa Distefano and another activist bucked over the waves in a rubber Zodiac, screaming at the whalers to distract them. Anti-whaling activists in an all-aluminum fishing boat, the "Bulletproof," surged all around, with crew members pounding on their metal boat and screaming at the whaling canoe. The Coast Guard returned with some boats that had allegedly interfered with the hunt, including the jet ski and the 42-foot Bulletproof, used by the anti-whaling Sea Defense Alliance. In all, four boats were removed from the water, and three are being held by the Coast Guard, according to The Associated Press. Four operators of protest boats, including leaders of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Sea Defense Alliance, were cited by the Coast Guard for negligent operation of their vessels and released. Two of them were also cited for violation of the Marine Mammals Protection Act, which prohibits the harassment of whales and other sea creatures, said Gino Burns, a Coast Guard spokesman. "It was reported that they actually came into contact with marine mammals,"Ósaid Coast Guard Cmdr. Ed Kaetzel. Television footage, played repeatedly throughout the day, showed a protest boat appearing to cross over the path of the whale. But Helga Kahr, an attorney for the Sea Defense Alliance, denied that the gray whale was struck or harmed. The charges, Kahr said in a television interview, are part of the U.S. government's "conspiracy to assist the Makah in killing a whale and reintroduce coastal whaling in the U.S." The irony of the accusations escaped few protesters. "For us, that's extremely ludicrous because we were protecting the whales from being shot with a . . . gun within a marine sanctuary," said Jake Conroy, member of the Sea Defense Alliance, who was charged last week for allegedly interrupting the Makah hunt. The activity at sea has worried all sides. "It has been a circus," said Distefano, international director of Sea Shepherd. Distefano was one of the four cited for negligence earlier in the day, but who later returned to the scene of the hunt. Distefano said the International Whaling Commission (IWC), meeting in Grenada for the next two weeks, will condemn the Makah for reviving whaling, and for their inhumane killing methods. "It's obvious that they're desperate," she said. "Before they'll be reprimanded by the IWC, they want to get a whale." Not all of the action was on the water. Traffic was stopped for about 2 1/2 hours yesterday after both protesters and tribal police blocked the twisty two-lane road that leads to the Makah Indian Reservation. About 25 protestors hoisted signs with slogans such as "Tradition can be altered." "Whale killer! Whale killer!" screamed Don Munson, as cars passed him. Munson was one of two people who sat in the road and refused to budge. Hunt allowed in '97 The struggle actually began in 1997 when after years of debate, the U.S. government lobbied a deal with the International Whaling Commission that allowed the Makahs to take up to five whales a year through the year 2004. The tribe agreed to take the animals in a humane manner, to allow a federal observer, and to use the meat and oil strictly for tribal consumption - not for sale. Gray whale populations have rebounded dramatically and they have been taken off the endangered list. Scientists now believe there are 23,000 gray whales and that the species is at its "carrying capacity" - a balance between gray-whale population and the available food supply. That was part of the Makah argument for resuming the traditional whale hunt. But protesters have argued that this hunt could open the door to the resumption of commercial whaling by the Japanese, Norwegians and others. The hunt was first scheduled for Oct. 1 of last year, drawing dozens of reporters, environmentalists and animal-rights groups to Neah Bay. But by December, the whales had migrated past Cape Flattery on their way from Alaska to Mexico, and the Makah never went whaling. Now the gray whales have returned in large numbers. Puyallups lend support Once the protesters were cleared away by the Coast Guard, the sea was the whalers' own. They hunted in earnest, without interference and with the best of modern ballistics, backed up by an occasional tow from their motorized chase boat. They were joined in mid-hunt by a canoe paddled by Puyallup tribal members, here to support the hunt. The two canoes rafted up briefly and paddlers exchanged handshakes of welcome. Then the Puyallups pulled back to leave the whalers to their world. This was unlike Monday's hasty hunt, declared in the middle of a practice session to enlist the help of the Coast Guard in keeping protesters at bay. Yesterday, the Makah hunted on their own terms. They rose at dawn and put to sea at first light, hunted hard and stalked every blow of mist from the great whale. While the Makah killed no whales yesterday, the hunt itself was as much a triumph for the tribe as it was an agony for the protesters. Their whaling culture lived yesterday, not only in their museum, but at sea. Posted at 09:54 p.m. PDT; Sunday, May 16, 1999 E-mail Comments to Editor : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Seattle Times: Table of Content http://www.seattletimes.com/news/ The Seattle Times: Search Archive http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/search.html The Seattle Times: Browse by date http://www.seattletimes.com/todaysnews/browse.html Seattle Times: Special Reports http://www.seattletimes.com/news/special/ Permission requests and information http://www/seatimes.com/general/info.html Copyright (c) 1999 The Seattle Times Company http://www.seattletimes.com/news/general/copyright.html Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
