Don't blame the Makahs. For centuries, their forebears hunted the gray whales that
migrated past their villages on the far corner of the Olympic peninsula. The hunts ended
70 years ago when whale populations plummeted, but the magnificent creatures survived
in tribal legend and culture.
Now, gray whales are back, off the endangered list and protected from commercial
whalers worldwide. by harvesting five whales a season, the Makahs see a chance to revive
part of their ancient culture and maybe make a few bucks selling whale meat to the
Japanese. The tribe claims a historic treaty right to that harvest, and last week the federal
government supported the Makahs proposal to the International Whaling Commission
(IWC).
WHETHER THE MOTIVATION is cultural or commercial is irrelevant. The Makahs
make a strong case, bolstered by Inuit whaling rights in the Bering Sea. But their claim is
no more legitimate than that of the Japanese or the Norwegians, equally ancient whaling
cultures that propose to hunt healthy populations of minke whales. Those whale hunts
have been firmly opposed by the U.S.
American whalers, including many based in Puget Sound, helped hunt these creatures to
the brink of extinction. Until early in this century, we used whale products for everything
from lamp oil to corsets.
More recently, whale populations have become a symbol of environmental ethics, enforced
by the whaling commission. The Japanese have their own cultural values; they regard deer
with much the same reverence that we do whales, and they relish whale meat in much the
same way Americans do venison.
NOW THAT SAVE THE WHALE ethic collides head-on with a concern for the cultural
integrity and treaty rights of Native Americans. The conflict has all the uncomfortable
twists of the sea lion dilemma at the Ballard locks.
By supporting the Makah bid to the IWC, the U.S. sets up an untenable double-standard:
Native American whaling is legitimate but Japanese whaling is not. It will get worse;
tribes from Washington to the Bering Sea are sharpening their harpoons, waiting for the
Makahs to get the go-ahead.
As creatures that routinely migrate the globe, whales demand a coherent and consistent
international policy. If the world community approves the Makahs' whale hunt, then Japan
deserves the same.
But the long, grim history of commercial whaling points to a tougher response: No more
harpoons. Whales are for watching.