Makah whaling rights reaffirmed

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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA fisheries), an agency of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released its environmental assessment of Makah gray whale hunting. The new assessment finds that, due to the government's treaty obligation and the healthy status of the whale population, the tribe's whale hunting will be allowed to continue.

The Makah resumed whaling in 1998 after a 70-year self-imposed hiatus. This action followed removal of the gray whale from the federal endangered species list in 1994 and allocation of a 20-whale Aboriginal subsistence quota to the United States from the International Whaling Commission. The tribe has taken only one whale since then, an adult female in 1999.

Under a previous agreement with NOAA Fisheries, the Makah hunt was limited to the whales' migration period from November through June and only in the ocean. Today's document concludes that there is no biological reason for such restrictions and that a limited whale hunt may occur in part of the nearby Strait of Juan de Fuca near the Makah's Neah Bay reservation.

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First Nation partners with feds on processing plant

Cheryl Petten, Raven's Eye Writer, Scowlitz First Nation

The Scowlitz First Nation will be home to a new seafood processing plant, thanks to a partnership between the band and the federal government.

The Scowlitz First Nation Seafood Processing Plant will create 14 full-time and 42 part-time positions. Employees will receive training from Maple Seafood Inc., with that training designed to help reintroduce people back into the work force.

The plant will mainly process salmon and tuna, although other seafood such as halibut and shrimp will also be processed. About 10 per cent of the seafood coming out of the plant will be destined for local markets-supermarkets and restaurants in the province's lower mainland- while the remaining 90 per cent will be exported to international markets, including the United States, Japan and Asia.

"We, as the political body of the Scowlitz First Nation, feel that this fish processing smoker plant will not only create employment, it will build self-esteem for the members and others employed at the plant," said Scowlitz Chief John Pennier.

"To start a band operated business on-reserve is a challenge to any First Nation, but we are ready to stand up and work together to make this project a success. This partnership is good news for our community. The jobs and the economic opportunities that will flow mean a better future for the Scowlitz First Nation."

The $1.3 million processing plant project is part of a federal government strategy aimed at strengthening the economies and governments of First Nations communities.

"The government of Canada is working in partnership with Aboriginal people in this province to improve their quality of life," Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Robert Nault said of the processing plant project. "Initiatives such as this will assist First Nations in becoming full partners in B.C.'s economic success."