Tribe condemns killing of whale

Leaders of the Makah Indian tribe expressed regret to federal officials and members of Congress on Wednesday for the unauthorized killing of a gray whale off the coast of Washington state.

At separate meetings with Washington’s two senators and top leaders of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tribal leaders reiterated their condemnation of the killing, which has drawn international attention to the tribe’s efforts to revive its traditional whale hunting.

Five Makah men are under investigation by tribal authorities, and the National Marine Fisheries Service in the killing of the California gray whale, which was harpooned and shot several times Saturday in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, about 120 miles northwest of Seattle.

Micah McCarty, a tribal council member who attended the meetings, acknowledged that the hunt “inflamed an already controversial issue,” but said he was optimistic that the tribe’s request to renew whale hunting would not be affected.

“They seemed confident we’re on the right track and are taking corrective action,” he said of NOAA officials and the two Washington senators. NOAA is considering the tribe’s request for a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to allow ceremonial and subsistence whaling.

“It’s a public relations setback,” McCarty said at a news conference, but added that “it shouldn’t impede” the tribe’s request for a waiver to allow hunting of up to five whales per year.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) called Saturday’s hunt “a very serious situation,” but commended the Makah leaders “for immediately condemning this rogue act and taking steps to prosecute the offenders.”

“I believe that the Makah tribe is taking the right steps to move forward from this situation and I will be monitoring their progress,” Murray said in a statement.

“I know this has been a painful event with high emotions on all sides.”

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) declined to comment on the meeting, which her staff called a “standard constituent meeting.” But in a statement Monday, Cantwell said it was “wrong that these individuals [who killed the whale] bypassed an ongoing legal process.”

“There are many outstanding questions and ongoing investigations surrounding this incident, and I will be monitoring closely,” she said.

Spokeswoman Monica Allen said NOAA Fisheries Director William Hogarth and NOAA Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher also met with tribal leaders Wednesday. Hogarth was convinced “the tribe is taking this very seriously, and they are on top of it,” she said.

Brian Gorman, a fisheries service spokesman in Seattle, said the five men arrested Saturday could face civil penalties of up to $20,000 each and up to a year in jail if convicted of hunting illegally. Criminal prosecution under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act is rare, he said.