Makah Indians this morning successfully harpooned and killed a whale off the coast of Washington state, the first whale kill by the tribe in more than 70 years. No protestors were in the area when the whale was hit. Protestors have dogged the whalers since their hunt began last week; four of their vessels have been seized by the Coast Guard, and a few activists have been arrested. The U.S. government cut a deal in 1997 with the International Whaling Commission that allows the Makahs to take up to five whales a year through 2004.
