November 24, 2023

Now that some members of the Makah Tribe of Washington State are renewing interest in the killing of gray whales, I have been contacted by some people wanting to know what my position is and what are we going to do about it?

My position is the same as what I posted in the Seattle Times on December 9th, 2019.

I cannot speak for Sea Shepherd now however, as I am no longer affiliated with Sea Shepherd except with the Sea Shepherd entities in France and Brazil.

Speaking for the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, I can say that we are opposed to the killing of whales by anyone, for any reason, anywhere. No exceptions. It is my personal view that killing a whale is murder.

Will we intervene?

As I said in 2019 and as we demonstrated in 1998 and 1999, we will intervene if invited to intervene by at least six Elders of the Makah Nation.

It was at the invitation of Makah Elders Alberta Thomson, Dottie Chamlin and Jessie Ides amongst others in 1995 that we intervened with our ships and crews.

I have always stated and held the position that an invitation to intervene by the Makah Elders is required for us to intervene. That remains our position.

The Makah Elders who invited us to intervene held firm to the position that traditional whaling could not be traditional without ceremonies, personal sacrifices and respect. They also were also adamant that tradition did not involve killing a whale with a .50 caliber rifle.

In my book THE DEATH OF A WHALE, I documented the details of this controversy including the history of opposition to Makah whaling.

The earliest any attempts to kill whales will not be until October 2024 but there will be court filings and appeals to oppose the resumption of whaling then.

My book DEATH OF A WHALE is available from my shop: shop.paulwatson.com

Sea Shepherd’s view on Makah whale hunt

Dec. 9, 2019 at 3:23 pm

Letters Editor

The Seattle Times

Re: “Honor Makahs’ treaty right to hunt whales”:

In 1995, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was invited by a concerned group of Makah elders who requested that we help them defend and protect the whales.

We agreed with those elders whose invitation we honored that having the right to kill whales does not mean that it is right to kill whales.

Sea Shepherd represents one of two opposing perspectives: the side of whale hunters who sought to kill whales and our side, including some Makah elders who sought to see the whales live. This remains a great concern considering that hundreds of gray whales died this year from starvation, disease, ship strikes and pollution.

Sea Shepherd opposes the killing of whales by anyone, anywhere, for any reason, without discrimination.

Sea Shepherd is opposing Makah whaling in the courts, but we will only intervene directly like we did in 1998 and 1999 if we are once again invited by Makah elders to do so.

Capt. Paul Watson, Founder, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society