NEAH BAY – Members of the Makah Tribal Council have discussed meeting to consider “contingency plans” if federal charges are filed against five tribal members who fatally harpooned and shot a gray whale on Sept. 8.
The five men – Wayne Johnson, Theron Parker, Andy Noel, Bill Secor Sr. and Frank Gonzales Jr. – are under investigation by the National Marine Fisheries Service for killing the whale in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The men are also under investigation by the tribe.
The Makah Tribal Council has said that the whalers will be prosecuted by the tribal court, since they killed a whale without permission from the council.
Council member Micah McCarty said on Tuesday that the council may meet at a later date.
On Monday, it was reported that the Tribal Council members planned to have a conference call.
But Tuesday, the council did not meet, and there was no major conference call, said Ben Johnson Jr., Makah tribal chairman, although some council members talked with each other on the phone.
Johnson confirmed that the council may meet in the future to discuss what punishment or consequences it can impose on five men.
