LETTER: Opponents should speak out against Makah whaling proposal

Recently, as reported in the PDN, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration again issued a proposal to allow the Makah Tribe to hunt from one to three Eastern North Pacific gray whales annually over the next 10 years.

Whales are not human but do have many human characteristics.

From everything we know about whales, it is quite evident that they are intelligent, self-aware and have feelings, likely with rich emotional lives.

Whales have families and grieve when one among them dies.

They have a language by which they communicate with each other, though we don’t understand it.

NOAA failed to include these factors in its environmental impact statement.

Why does tradition give the Makah the right to murder such creatures, destroy their families and orphan their children?

These whales have done no harm to them or others.

We know so much more about whales now than when Makah whaling tradition began and the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay was signed.

The Makah and other proponents of this proposal must understand that whaling should no longer be accepted by civilized people.

Would it be acceptable to allow a tribe of cannibals to kill any number of people because it was their tradition?

Those of us who believe whales are much more than objects that can be hunted to satisfy some ancient tradition must oppose this proposal.

Go to www.tinyurl.com/PDN-Whale-Hunt for authorization to comment at the Aug. 12 hearing in Seattle.

David Tonkin,

Port Townsend