Is anyone else out there confused by the Ninth Circuit Court ruling on the Makah whaling issue?
For the purposes of gambling, liquor, tobacco, fireworks, fish and shellfish, the Ninth Circuit has ruled that treaties give Indian tribes the status of seperate nations exempt from State and Federal laws and regulations.
Now the Ninth has ruled that although the Makah Tribe has a treaty that specifically allows them to take whales and they have received permits to take whales, not only from the United States but also from the International whaling commission, they must comply with State and Federal environmental and endangered species laws.

I'm in the same boat with you on that ruling. As far as I am concerned, let them take their incidental whales.

Treaties were supposed to be honored, and theirs specifically stated whaling rights. The herds have recovered. We need to back up what we agreed to in writing. If this activity helps to put their youth on the right path, great!

i could care less if they take their "ceremonial" whales and if other tribes want to harvest a whale each year, well go right ahead BUT what i would like, i know it's just the tip of the iceberg, but i would really like to see a more accurate count of the fish that the netters kill...now you notice i said kill and not take for the fact that(and we've all seen it) these tribal netters will toss the bucks and strip the eggs from the hens and toss those carcasses...not ever once on the skok(where i believe the problem may be most rampant) have i seen any of the netters have a notepad or one of those little counters that scholl bus drivers use or ANY type of recording device for that matter...and PLEASE don't tell me they keep track in their head...one guy last year i asked how he'd been doing after he pulled into the bank where i was fishing so he could set a net right where i had been fishing for the past 3 hours, the guy has a little 3 year old with him in the small jonboat(no lifejacket, water was way up), i watch him try to pound a stick in the gravel bar(didn't do too well)to hold one side of his net, the other end he ties to an old alternator...yes, an ALTERNATOR! after tying some funky-ass-no-boy scout-takin' knot to it, he winds up and lets it fly out into the river...oh how majestic it was!! there was this beautiful alternator flying through the air, sounds of the water relaxing as can be, the run in front of us holding at least 100 fish, and finally SPLASH!! the alternator lands in the smack dead center of the most prime water in a quarter mile on the river, AND THE FRIGGING NET IS STILL THERE ON THE BANK BY HIS FEET!!!!! sorry for carrying on, just my nickel

Uhhhhh Phil.......


I believe this was about whales.

do they eat them?.... seems like it would take quite a long house to have that thing mounted. maybe thats why they started building long houses

The 9th CC is always good for controvesial rulings.

Are they allowed to pick it up out the water to photograph it?

Somebody told me that they were allowed like five whales as long as they make use of 100% of one before killing another. I guess they have not consumed the first one and they want to kill another and its being held in court or something??? I guess whale blubber is not as popular @ the dinner table as it used to be.