The Makah Nation of Washington didn't know that five tribal members were planning an illegal whale hunt, Chairman Micah McCarty said.

McCarty said court documents that suggest the tribal council knew about the September 8, 2007, hunt are incorrect. McCarty was a member of the tribal council at the time.

"The whole tribe was not behind this," McCarty told The Peninsula Daily News, which reported on the court documents that were filed by one of the five men who are being sentenced today for hunting a whale without a federal permit.

Theron Parker, 45, claimed that he told the tribal council about his plans to "go fishing" two months before the September incident.

The tribe has a treaty that guarantees the right to hunt whales. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the tribe must follow the Marine Mammal Protection Act and obtain a permit.

Get the Story:
Makah chairman refutes defendant's court memo, says tribe didn't know about Sept. 8 whaling beforehand (The Peninsula Daily News 6/30)
Court memos suggest on eve of sentencing that Makah Tribal Council OK'd whale kill last year (The Peninsula Daily News 6/27)

Relevant Documents:
Draft EIS on Makah Whale-Hunting Request | Q&A

9th Circuit Decision:
Anderson v. Evans (June 7, 2004)

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