Modern Whaling Under the Guise of Subsistence Need
by Toni Frohoff, Ph.D

By the time this story goes to press, Makah whalers in Neah Bay, Washington, may have already killed the first of up to four gray whales which the US government claims they can kill over the next five years. The Makah can also “strike” up to 33 whales during this time but not land them. We do not oppose the Makah people and their culture nor do we oppose true subsistence whaling conducted by other indigenous people with authentic nutritional and cultural subsistence needs. However, we are strongly opposed to this hunt for several reasons, the primary of which is that Makah whaling would not be a true subsistence hunt.

The Makah cannot satisfy three of the most important criteria for aboriginal subsistence whaling as required by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and as demonstrated by other subsistence whalers: (1) demonstration of a nutritional or “subsistence” need for whale products, (2) demonstration of a “continuing traditional dependence” on whaling, and (3) demonstration that whaling is an “absolute necessity” for cultural survival. It is clear that the Makah have no nutritional need for whale meat. In addition, their whaling tradition is far from “continuing” – the Makah have not hunted whales for over 70 years. It is evident that whaling is not a cultural necessity for the Makah since their cultural and societal ties to whaling were severed several generations ago. Even if the traditional aspects of whaling could be revived, it would be unrealistic to expect them to be a panacea for the social problems within the tribe, many of which began when the Makah were still whaling. Apparently there is no surviving member of the Makah Tribe who has ever even participated in a whale hunt and many of the cultural aspects of Makah whaling have been long forgotten over many decades. Modern techniques will be used to kill whales, taught to the Makah by people of other whaling cultures, such as the Japanese.

The second reason we are opposed to this hunt is because the Makah people are clearly not united in the desire to resume whaling. This is evidenced by the inability of the Makah Whaling Commission to obtain the last remaining set of non-museum traditional whaling gear. The whaling family who has this gear will not surrender it for this modern-day hunt. Many Makah elders and others have spoken out publicly against this hunt because they do not consider this a necessary or authentic subsistence hunt. However, most of them have been silenced through intimidation; threats of harm to home and family, threats of being taken off of the Tribal roles, and harassment. Recently, the one remaining elder who courageously maintains her public fight against the hunt, Alberta Thompson, was fired from her job at the Makah Senior Center. The Makah Tribal Council, in writing, specified that the reason for her dismissal was because a conference call, which she scheduled with Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd and a Makah person opposed to the hunt, brought “the organization into disrepute.”

Lastly, we oppose this hunt because the US support of Makah whaling in the absence of nutritional and authentic cultural need will likely result in disastrous consequences for whale populations around the world as well as for the local population of resident whales in Neah Bay. Commercial whaling countries such as Japan and Norway could claim that they are similarly entitled to kill whales under aboriginal whaling provisions because of their cultural whaling traditions. In fact, these countries could even argue that they have more of a right to kill whales than the Makah because they can demonstrate a fairly continuous tradition of whaling, something which the Makah cannot. However neither of these countries, nor the Makah, can demonstrate nutritional or cultural necessity. We, as well as several countries‚ delegations to the IWC, believe that the IWC never recognized the cultural and nutritional needs of the Makah and thus it can be argued that the US has self-allocated a quota much like Japan and Norway have done.

Another concern is that a unique, small, and vulnerable sub- population of approximately 20 gray whales who are considered to be “residential” in this region will be threatened by Makah whaling. From the perspective of biological diversity, ecological health, scientific research, education, these whales need to be protected from unnecessary killing. This hunt would also destroy the tremendous opportunity for a Makah cultural- based whale watching and ecotour business in Neah Bay.

In conclusion, the whales the Makah hunt today are not the same whales who their ancestors hunted years ago. Today’s whales are accustomed to whale-friendly boats and even occasional “pets” from whale watchers. The Makah are not hunting for the same reasons their ancestors hunted either - they no longer need to kill whales to survive.

What You Can Do: Letters can be written to President Clinton at: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20500. For the most current information on this subject, go to www.paws.org/activists/whales.

Toni Frohoff, Ph.D. is a wildlife biologist and consultant to the Earth Island Institute and other organizations such as The Humane Society of the United States. She also conducts research on the needs of marine mammals regarding their welfare and conservation.