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Two Makah tribal members convicted
last update: Apr 09, 2008 05:57 PM
The two Makah tribal members that were involved in the unsanctioned kill of a Gray whale last September have been convicted of conspiracy to violate the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Wayne Johnson and Andy Noel had waived their right to a jury trial so they could get on with appealing some of the rulings made in the case.
U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Kelley Arnold denied their motions to dismiss the charges based on the Makah tribe's treaty rights to hunt whales.
Allthough the Makah have treaty rights to hunt whales, they must obtain a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act before exercising that right. For several years the tribe had been trying to obtain such a waiver.
It has not been decided what their sentence will be, they could face up to 1 year in jail.
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