URGENT DEADLINE! YOUR COMMENTS ON MAKAH GRAY WHALE DEA BY 2/16/01 !

This is your chance to be heard and make a difference for the grey whales.

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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has released the "Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) on Issuing a Quota to the Makah Indian Tribe for a Subsistence Hunt on Gray Whales for the Years 2001 and 2002"

They are in the process of deciding whether or not the Makah tribe will be permitted to kill gray whales over the next two years and if so, how many. Your comments could save the lives of these whales.

The draft outlines four hunt scenarios, ranging from Alternative 1:Grant Makah Tribe the IWC Quota- which includes a kill quota of up to 5 whales per year to Alternative 4 - (No Action) - Do Not Grant Makah Tribe the IWC Quota.

Copies of the complete draft with all the alternatives can be obtained on the NOAA website at: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov. It is vital that you send in your comments. Even a short postcard asking them "to please choose Alternative 4" could save the lives of whales.

WRITTEN COMMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FEBRUARY 16th, 2001 Unfortunately, email comments are not accepted.

Send your comments to:

Cathy E. Campbell
NOAA/NMFS
Office of Protected Resources, 13th Floor
1315 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Mark the outside of the envelope with "Comments on Makah EA"

MORE IN- DEPTH:

For those of you who can send in letters, you may want to include the following points:

1) The DEA (Draft Environmental Assessment) is misleading. The Makah hunt does NOT meet the International Whaling Commission's definitions of "subsistence" whaling, as there is neither a continuous tradition of whaling or a nutritional need.

2) The DEA is blatantly inaccurate in stating that the International Whaling Commission (WIC) approved a quota of gray whales for the Makah. This never happened, The Makah were never specifically named in any quota by the IWC. A quota was passed with an amendment that the take would only be for aboriginal communities whose cultural and SUBSISTENCE needs have been recognized - by the IWC. The Makah were never recognized by the IWC.

3) The DEA somehow ignored entirely that the Makah first approached the NMFS with their intentions of engaging in COMMERCIAL whaling and, specifically, SELLING whale products to Japan and Norway. Government documents attest to this.

4) The DEA states that "Makah whaling is unlikely to lead to whaling by other tribes in the United States and Canada." And yet, NMFS is well aware that following in the footsteps of the Makah, the British Columbia Nuu-Chah-Nulth formally stated their intentions to hunt gray whales in their recent treaty negotiations with the B.C. government. The tribe has made frequent references to the Makah in their public statements to Canadian and US press. NMFS is also well aware that other tribes are keen to apply for permits but are taking a "watch and see" attitude to see if the Makahs win. If they do, it sets a dangerous precedent for other tribes to follow.

5) The DEA provides an inaccurate and dated picture of gray whale population health and falsely claims that "there is no conservation-based rationale for denying a quota" as an argument against Alternative 4. It overlooks critical and recent scientific documentation of unusually high gray whale mortality and low recruitment, APPARENTLY linked with starvation.

The Grays Need Your Help!

SEND IN YOUR COMMENTS BY FEB 16 TO THE ADDRESS ABOVE!