Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Makah Tribe Request to Hunt Gray Whales
November 09, 2023
NOAA Fisheries proposes to act on the Makah Tribe’s request for a waiver of the Marine Mammal Protection Act to resume treaty-based hunting of eastern North Pacific gray whales ) for ceremonial and subsistence purposes.
In February 2005, the Makah Indian Tribe submitted to NMFS a request to resume treaty-based hunting of ENP gray whales in the coastal portion of the Tribe’s U&A. The Tribe’s request stems from the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay, which expressly secures the Makah Tribe’s right to hunt whales. To exercise that right, the Makah Tribe is seeking authorization from NMFS under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Whaling Convention Act. This final environmental impact statement considers various alternatives to the Tribe’s proposed action and principal components associated with a hunt, including: hunt timing and location; the number of whales harvested, struck, and struck and lost; cessation of whale hunting if a predetermined number of identified whales were harvested; the method of hunting; and the duration of regulations and permits.
Previous Documents
Below are key documents prepared during the NEPA process:
2024 Record of Decision
2023 Final Environmental Impact Statement
- 2023 Final Environmental Impact Statement
- EPA Notice of FEIS Availability (November 17, 2023)
2022 Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- 2022 Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- EPA Notice of SDEIS Availability (July 1, 2022)
- Dear Recipient letter (July 1, 2022)
- NOAA Fisheries Request for Comments on the SDEIS (July 5, 2022)
- NOAA Fisheries Notice of Comment Period Extension (August 16, 2022)
- Recent Trends in the Abundance of Seasonal Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in the Pacific Northwest, 1996-2020 (September 2022)
2015 Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- 2015 Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- EPA Notice of Comment Period Extension to July 31, 2015
- EPA Notice of DEIS Availability (March 13, 2015)
- NOAA Fisheries Notice of Public Meetings and Request for Comments on the DEIS (March 20, 2015)
Libraries where you can view the complete 2015 DEIS:
- Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104
- North Olympic Library System (NOLS) - Forks Branch, 171 South Forks Ave., Forks, WA 98331
- NOLS - Sequim Branch, 630 North Sequim Avenue, Sequim, WA 98382
- NOLS - Port Angeles Branch, 2210 S Peabody St., Port Angeles, WA 98362
- NOLS - Clallam Bay Branch, 16990 Hwy 112, Clallam Bay, WA 98326
The public comment period for this DEIS expired on July 31, 2015. Public meetings were held on:
- Mon April 27th, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm, NOAA Western Regional Center, Building 9 (Kelly C. Sandy III Auditorium), 7600 Sand Point Way, NE, Seattle, Washington
- Wed April 29th, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm, Vern Burton Memorial Community Center, 308 East 4th Street, Port Angeles, Washington
- Public comments received on the 2015 DEIS