This is evidently not yet the case, though it should not forever be out of reach. The Japanese have started to crack the whip to ensure that their Caribbean minions understand the purpose for which they have been recruited. Puppetmaster was then heard to stammer assurances that they would work for their keep. On Sunday morning he made a statement that his government is committed to the total utilization of its resources in the sea. The leading newspaper in the State of Washington this week called for the IWC to reject the U.S. bid for an aboriginal kill of gray whales.
Whales are for watching.
Whether the motivation is cultural or commercial is irrelevant. The Makahs make a strong case, bolstered by Inuit whaling rights in the Bering Sea. But their claim is no more legitimate than that of the Japanese or the Norwegians, equally ancient whaling cultures that propose to hunt healthy populations of minke whales. As creatures that routinely migrate the globe, whales demand a coherent and consistent international policy. Whales are for watching.