Pretty much harpoons their chance of having their hunting rights restored, when they go out and "illegally" kill a gray whale.
Since the whales are protected under U.S. laws, they should have been tried and sent to jail under U.S. laws. Nothing will happen to them, under tribal laws.
quote:
Five Makah Nation members harpooned and shot a gray whale east of Neah Bay on Saturday morning, shocking environmentalists and tribal leaders alike. The whale died less than 12 hours later, sinking while heading out to sea.
The move short-circuited years of wrangling in the courts over whaling by the tribe, which hunted its first whale in 70 years in 1999.
A marine biologist who works for the Makah pronounced the whale dead at 7:15 p.m., U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Shawn Eggert said. The whale went under about a mile from Cape Flattery, and did not resurface. The Coast Guard, following the whale at a distance of 500 yards, saw that buoys attached to the harpoon stopped moving.
The Coast Guard took the five rogue whalers into custody and turned them over to Makah tribal police for further questioning around 6 p.m. Saturday.
"Their fate will ultimately be decided by the tribe," Eggert said.
The hunt wasn't authorized by the tribal council or by the federal government.
Machine Guns are illegal in Washington State, even with a Federal Permit. I hope they send these people to jail. Doubtful though, since they were turned over to law-breakers to decide their fate.
