Originally Posted By: cohoangler






My sense is that if the Makah Tribe wanted to kill a bunch of seals under their Treaty, they probably can. They might not get dragged into a legal fight, but the public relations pushback would be severe, just like it was when they killed a humpback 20 years ago. They’re probably not anxious for that to happen again, particularly since seals are probably not high on their list of favorite foods.


The Makah killed a grey whale, not a humpback. As a wildlife photographer I was expected by animal rights groups I had worked with to oppose the taking of whales by the Makah but treaty rights were paramount in my point of view. They (and other tribes) have basically quietly ignored the MMPA when dealing with problem seals and sea lions. Of course this is downplayed as the Feds are a lot less willing to deal with the problem then the tribes.