And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.I.S.I.S.) writes: MIGRATION RAISES CONCERN FOR WHALES Victoria Times Colonist, March 15, 1999 by Louise Dickson [S.I.S.I.S. note: The following mainstream news article may contain biased or distorted information and may be missing pertinent facts and/or context. It is provided for reference only.] Members of the West Coast Anti-Whaling Society are more determined than ever to prevent the Makah whaling crew from making a kill this spring. "We are prepared to do virtually anything," society president Anna Hall said Sunday at a boat rally in Victoria's Inner Harbour. "We'll do whatever we can do save these whales." Grey whales migrating north have been spotted at Watch Point, just south of Cape Flattery in Washington state, said Hall, a marine biologist. "They should be very close in the next couple of days which means that the hunt starts any day." Throughout the winter months when the seas were too rough for the whaling crew to train, the West Coast Anti-Whaling Society aligned forces with the Paul Watson's Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the Port Angeles-based Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of the Whales and the Sea Defense Alliance, a more militant animal rights group. "We know each other now so we're far more organized and far more effective," said Hall. "We've been talking to the other groups all winter and figuring out the plans." Hall said some protesters are willing to violate the 500-yard buffer zone around the Makah whaling canoe imposed by the U.S. Coast Guard. "They have what they call disposable boats." In October, members of the alliance said they were prepared to put themselves between the whaling crew and a whale to prevent a strike by harpoon or a shot by the .50-calibre military rifle the whaling crew plan to use to inflict the fatal blow. "Our message today is the whales are in real danger right now. We've got to bring the issue back out and let the world know." Hall said Paul Watson is in Seattle getting the Sirenian ready to return to Neah Bay. The Sea Shepherd lll is also nearby in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. About two dozen protesters floated around the calm sunlit water of the Inner Harbour at Sunday's rally. Several whale watching Zodiacs circled the Loyal ll, a purse seiner displaying signs which read, "Clinton + Japan + Makah = Dead Whales," "Stop the Hunt," and "Whaling Kills Tourism." Chuck Owens, spokesman for the Peninsula Citizens for the Protection of the Whales, said he was really concerned the whale hunt would drive tourists away. "Once people start seeing whales being killed again right here on our shores, it's going to have an adverse effect," said Owens, who praised the Canadian protesters for their courage. Ironically, the same good weather enjoyed by the protesters is shaping events across the water in Neah Bay, Washington state, where the Makah whaling crew have resumed their training. "The weather is clearing up now," said John McCarty, a former executive director of the Makah Whaling Commission. "I can see the whaling crew right out of my window in the afternoons and evenings walking down to the canoe to train." McCarty said although the tensions of the fall had subsided, people were wondering when the protesters were coming back. "I think they'll be back next month," he said. "I heard they were coming soon." :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: Letters to Times-Colonist - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2 EMAIL : <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html SOVERNET-L is a news-only listserv concerned with indigenous sovereigntist struggles around the world. To subscribe, send "subscribe sovernet-l" in the body of an email message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information on sovernet-l, contact S.I.S.I.S. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
