Indigenous people have been stewarding the lands and waters and living creatures of North America since time immemorial, with deep knowledge of their ancestral and current homelands and waters.
Washington’s Tribes and Indian Nations are among the state’s most important leaders as we seek solutions to pressing conservation and climate challenges today. Upholding tribal treaty rights and supporting our tribal partners is one of the most important contributions we can make toward facing these challenges.
With these principles in mind, The Nature Conservancy’s Washington chapter has filed a letter with the National Marine Fisheries Service supporting the Makah Tribe as they seek to exercise their treaty right to engage in whaling off the Pacific Coast.
Whales and whaling are central to the Makah culture, and the Treaty of Neah Bay signed by the Makah Tribe and the U.S. Government specifically reserves their rights to hunt whales.
In addition, the best available science strongly supports a decision to permit the Makah Tribe to take a limited number of Eastern North Pacific gray whales. The Makah Tribe’s plan has undergone a robust federal review process that includes mechanisms for evaluating the ongoing sustainability of the whaling activity.
We understand that activities such as a whale hunt can be controversial and may make some people uncomfortable. In making this decision, we relied on our organizational values, commitment to upholding tribal rights and confidence in the science. Respect and support for Indigenous rights and authority are embedded in The Nature Conservancy’s commitment to the United Nations Rights of Indigenous People and in our own chapter’s Equity Statement.
Banner photo, Cape Flattery © Kelly Compton
