News from EuroBirdNet about our own backyard that might be of interest to
Tweeters. Does anyone know more about this? Hans Krauss Spokane. WA
---------------------
Forwarded message:
From: nvoth at estreet.com (Nick Voth)
Sender: owner-ukbirdnet at dcs.bbk.ac.uk
Reply-to: nvoth at estreet.com (Nick Voth)
To: ukbirdnet at dcs.bbk.ac.uk
Date: 97-08-14 02:54:30 EDT

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Makah tribe to use high-caliber military assault weapons against migrating
Gray whales

Sea Shepherd outraged by Makah's continued "ceremonial" whaling arguments

July 30, 1997

Sea Shepherd has confirmed that the Makah Band of Western Washington will
now use high-caliber military firearms against Gray whales during their
planned 'ceremonial' whale hunt in the spring of 1998. Recent reports
indicate that members of the Makah Tribal Whaling Commission have obtained
at least 4 to 7 of these weapons.

Sea Shepherd believes that the military-grade ordinance could also be used
to intimidate or threaten National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
enforcement officers -- and other environmentalists -- from attempting to
prevent any subsequent illegal whale hunting. "The Makah tribe claims they
will simultaneously spear Gray whales with stainless steel harpoons, while
also shooting at their skulls with these massive, .50-caliber assault
rifles," says Michael Kundu, Sea Shepherd's Pacific Northwest Coordinator in
Seattle, "Coincidentally, these are the weapons normally mounted on military
assault helicopters and Navy gunboats -- they can efficiently shatter a
ship's hull a mile away. There isn't a trace of 'ceremonial aboriginal
whaling' in this plan -- it's blatant, undeniable whale warfare!" A quote
from a letter by Makah tribal Chairman Hubert Markishtum describes the
bullets employed as being:

"-- a .50-caliber, copper-jacketed, lead-core, hollow-point round
with a mass of 600-700 grains, fired at high velocity with a
muzzle velocity of 3,000 feet-per-second and muzzle energy of
14,000 foot pounds. This has about 10 times the energy of a
standard assault rifle."

This October, the Makah tribe, with assistance from the United States
Department of Commerce, will ask permission from the International Whaling
Commission (IWC), the world body that governs the harvest of whales, to
shoot up to 15 Gray whales annually. While recent reports indicate that the
Makah will not be awarded the quota by a majority of IWC signatory nations,
Sea Shepherd is concerned that the Makah tribe may violate federal laws and
proceed with a Gray whale hunt regardless of the IWC decision.

"The presence of these weapons is certainly a concern for us, as it should
be for anyone who is opposed to a recommenced tribal whale hunt," says
Kundu, who argues that the tribe does not meet the criteria established by
the IWC to receive an aboriginal quota. "If the IWC does not approve the
Makah quota in October, any subsequent tribal whale harassment will be
subject to prosecution under federal law," adds Kundu, "That's when we may
find these weapons, which we suspect have been supplied by the government,
being turned on citizens of the US."

Sea Shepherd has been working to build opposition to a resumed Gray whale
hunt by the Makah Tribe since 1994; maintaining regular surveillance patrols
of Neah Bay and marshaling political and tourism industry opposition to the
aboriginal hunt. Sea Shepherd maintains that the resumed killing of Gray
whales is being lead by international pro-whaling nations using the
'aboriginal' loophole to gain ground for a new commercial whaling industry
globally. "Ben Johnson of the Makah tribe has reported that the Japanese and
Norwegians have offered them funding to support their lobbying attempts,"
adds Sea Shepherd International Director Lisa Distefano, "Norway and Japan
are shrewd: from a PR perspective, they're acutely aware that a 'traditional
native ritual' hunt sounds more palatable than the more sinister reality of
commercial whaling." [Image]

For more information on this issue contact:

* Sea Shepherd Pacific Northwest Coordinator Michael Kundu (206) 621-9270
or (206) 359-3398
* Captain Paul Watson or International Director of Operations Lisa
Distefano (310) 301-7325

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
P.O. Box 628
Venice, CA. 90294
USA
Web Site: www.seashepherd.org
Tel: 310-301-SEAL(7325)
Fax: 310-574-3161


+----------------------------------------------
| To unsubscribe from ukbirdnet, send e-mail to
| ukbirdnet-request at dcs.bbk.ac.uk
| with the single word
| unsubscribe
| in the body of the message.
+----------------------------------------------