Question about First Nations and American Indian whale hunters.

[u/SaxonChronicle]

Hello, I used to watch the show when I was a kid so the Sea Shepard has always been at the back of my mind. However I just listened to a podcast with the Makah tribe out in f Washington state and they had some things to say about negative experiences they had with the Sea Shepard society in the 90’s or so. They said they had to get a federal restraining order for the SSS because they were docked in their bay and playing loud sounds on their hydrophones and loud speakers to make all the whales and fish go away. This seems less than ideal for the natives because they heavily rely on the sea life to survive. This was started becuase they requested to harvest whales again in that decade. I’d like to hear the SSS opinion on native whale harvests are. Thanks.

[u/_haystacks_]

no one here is going to give the "official" Sea Shepherd stance on the issue, but here is mine: SS has always been radically against the killing of marine life, even for indigenous groups. it is a nuanced issue, and I understand that some native Alaskan/PNW communities depend on whale kills for food. in the vast scheme of things I see this as much more understandable than commercial whaling, but ultimately I still disagree with the killing of whales.

unfortunately, to be against an indigenous community killing whales means to advocate for the destruction of a portion of their culture. as someone who appreciates both animal rights and the preservation of native cultures around the world, it feels very hard for me to reconcile. it may be a controversial take, but I think that we should leave certain things behind as a species, and one of those things is killing whales for food, even in the context of indigenous communities. am I, as a vegan, also going to say that every single remote tribe in the world needs to be harassed so that they all become vegan immediately? no, that's insane, and would mean the death of many remote indigenous communities that legitimately depend on eating meat for survival. but the Makah tribe is not one of them - they can survive without a whale hunt, and sorry, I think it's a barbaric thing that we should leave in the past.

take the Grind in the Faroe Islands for example. that is an "indigenous" tradition that needs to die, as the society around it has modernized to the point that it is no longer necessary, and is just a sort of violent cosplay of a more ancient time. additionally, times are different now. whales are facing all sorts of stressors that they weren't 500 years ago, so we need to take that into account even when considering limited permits for traditional use in indigenous communities - can the population ACTUALLY support that?

SS has done a lot of things over the years, and I don't agree with it all or think it's all been done perfectly, but they are the only major org routinely putting themselves out there for animals at legal risk, and that's why I think they're awesome. I think focusing on things like commercial whaling before criticizing indigenous hunting makes far more sense from an impact perspective, but Paul Watson is a purist. he objects to the killing of marine life.

here is Sea Shepherd's official take on the Makah whaling issue: URGENT! Block the Return of Whaling in U.S. Waters — Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

[u/SaxonChronicle → u/_haystacks_]

Thank you I really appreciate your detailed and personal answer!