Olympia – NOAA Fisheries is seeking public submissions on the Makah Tribe’s permit application for a limited hunt for gray whales for ceremonial and subsistence purposes.
The Makah Tribe voluntarily gave up tribal hunting in 1928 because commercial whaling had decimated the species. Gray whales have since rebounded and were removed from protection of the Endangered Species Act in 1994. In 1995, the Makah Tribe notified the U.S. government of interest in resuming its traditional hunting practices, which is provided in the tribe’s treaty with the government.
NOAA’s Chris Yates says this next step is meant to get down to the details of just where, when, and how the hunt might take place under this initial hunt permit. He says, if they’re going to authorize a hunt, it must be carefully planned, safe for people, and humane for the gray whales.
Eastern North Pacific gray whales that migrate along the West Coast now number about 19,000. Repeated studies by NOAA and others have found that the small number of animals affected by the hunt would have no detectable effect on the health or productivity of the gray whale population.
NOAA Fisheries will take public comments on the hunt permit application for 45 days, beginning Wednesday, March 19, before deciding whether to issue the Tribe a permit.
Submit electronic public comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal https://www.regulations.gov. To submit comments via the eRulemaking Portal, enter NOAA-NMFS-2025-0025 in the keyword search. Locate the document you wish to comment on from the resulting list and click on the “Comment Now” icon on the right of that line.
Mail: Comments on the application should be addressed to: NMFS West Coast Region, Protected Resources Division, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Building 1, Seattle, WA 98117.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.) submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter “N/A” in the required fields if you wish to remain anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
Those individuals requesting a public hearing should submit a written request electronically via the method above or by email (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). The request must be received on or before [insert date 30 days after publication in the Federal Register] and should set forth the specific reasons why a hearing on this application would be advisable.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Grace Ferrara, NMFS West Coast Region Protected Resources Division, by email at MakahPermit.WCR@noaa.gov or by phone at 206-526-6172.
(NOAA Fisheries photo of Makah whale hunters, around 1900)