The IWC's exemption from the commercial whaling ban, however, is only for aboriginbal whaling that can demonstrate a nutritional and cultural need for eating whale meat. The Makah have not shown this need. Nonetheless, in 1999, the US granted the Makah permission to kill five whales annually for the next five years. This contemporary version of a Makah hunt is far from traditional. A powerboat tows the ceremonial canoe to the area where the whales migrate.
Small planes guide the tribesmen to the whales.
Although a ceremonial harpoon is used for the first strike, the actual killing is done with a high-powered rifle capable of knocking out an artillery tank. This spring, several Makah families attempted to kill gray whales in Neah Bay. One of the protest boats was rammed by a Coast Guard vessel, injuring at least two activists. On April 17, a Coast Guard ship rammed Erin Abbott, a young anti-whaling activist piloting a jet ski. Erin did manage to prevent the killing of a whale, however, when the noise and movement of her craft caused the whale to dive out of danger.