[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 144 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PROPOSAL TO REDUCE QUOTA OF GRAY WHALES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington [Mr. Metcalf] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. METCALF. Mr. Speaker, in Monaco today the International Whaling 
Commission, the IWC adopted a proposal to reduce the quota of gray 
whales given to Russia from 140 to 124. The quota was originally 
established for aboriginal groups who had demonstrated a nutritional 
need for whale products.
  The United States intends to take four gray whales from the Russian 
quota and allocate them for harvest by the Makah tribe in Washington 
State. However, many delegates to the IWC are now saying that they did 
not approve the controversial Makah proposal.
  Evidently, as I stated on the floor, on the House floor last night, 
the United States has tried to go through the back door by cutting a 
deal with the Russians and their quota, because they were facing almost 
certain defeat if the Makah issue were dealt with on its own merits.
  The U.S. delegation leader, Will Martin, stated at a press conference 
in Monaco that the Makah hunt had been approved. He has since been 
forced to back away from this statement. This is another example of a 
misleading statement of fact by the U.S. delegation in Monaco. 
Throughout this process, they have relied on strong arm pressure 
tactics, misleading information and clever propaganda to distort this 
issue.
  The Makah just have not demonstrated and aboriginal subsistence need, 
which is what the IWC regulations have always required. The Australians 
have stated that their amendment, which was added to the United States-
Russian proposal was added to prevent the Makah allocation, due to a 
lack of demonstrated subsistence need. The Makah have claimed a 
cultural need as subsistence.
  If accepted, this will now open the door for more quota increases 
around the world. Japan has already stated the desire to allow four 
villages on the Taiji peninsula with no subsistence need to be granted 
a cultural quota. Iceland, Ireland, Norway, China, where will it end?
  We will continue to work with the Makah elders through the legal 
process to prevent this whale hunt. I have already filed a lawsuit 
challenging the environmental process the administration went through 
to give support for the Makah proposal. We must prevent this tragic 
expansion of whaling and mark my words, this is a step into commercial 
whaling in the continental United States.
  In addition, I am aware of questions being asked the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs to investigate accusations made by the Makah elders who oppose 
the whale hunt that have alleged that the Makah tribal constitution has 
been violated.
  According to them, major tribal decisions must be ratified by a 
referendum of the whole tribe. An issue that has attracted the 
attention of the whole world that will effect greatly every enrolled 
member of the tribe surely qualifies as a major tribal decision.
  It is despicable that a quota for aboriginal whaling that was 
established using the legal standard of real nutritional subsistence is 
now being used to sneak past an allocation for the Makah tribe who 
failed to meet this criteria.
  Truly poor aboriginal people are being exploited through the cynical 
efforts of the official U.S. delegation.

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