- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
NOAA Fisheries announced the final rule and decision to grant the Makah Tribe a waiver from the take prohibitions in the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This waiver provides for a limited subsistence and ceremonial hunt of Eastern North Pacific gray whales in accordance with the Treaty of Neah Bay of 1855 and quotas established by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). This waiver authorizes the Makah Tribe to resume hunting up to 25 Eastern North Pacific gray whales over a 10-year period in U.S. waters.
Prior to a hunt, NOAA Fisheries and the Tribe must enter into a cooperative agreement under the //uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title16/chapter14/subchapter2&edition=prelim#" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(51, 122, 183); text-decoration: underline;">Whaling Convention Act, and the Tribe must apply for and receive a hunt permit. The final rule includes time and area restrictions, harvest limits, low population thresholds, restrictions on the use of gray whale parts and reporting and monitoring requirements.
This waiver will allow the Makah Tribe to use the quota which has in past years been transferred to Russia. No more than 2-3 whales may be hunted each year by the Tribe in U.S. waters. In addition, NOAA Fisheries will maintain adaptive management strategies to ensure the protection of endangered Western North Pacific gray whales and the Pacific Coast Feeding Group of Eastern North Pacific gray whales.
On September 23, 2021, the judge’s recommended decision was transmitted to NOAA Fisheries along with the hearing transcript and other required documentation. These documents — and public comments on them — informed the agency’s final decision on the Makah Tribe’s waiver request.
More information about the Makah Tribe’s request for a limited waiver of the Marine Mammal Protection Act moratorium on take of gray whales — including a flowchart — is available on the NOAA Fisheries’ website as well as a historical chronology leading up to this milestone.
More Stories Like This
Navajo President Discusses Value of Sovereignty with Homeland Security SecretaryCherokee Phoenix Accepting Nominations for the Newspaper’s Seven Feathers Language Award
Chickasaw Day of Prayer hosted at Chickasaw Cultural Center
Movement to Change the Name of the Navajo Nation to the Diné Nation
Army Begins Disinterment and Return of Remains for 11 Native Children Who Died at Carlisle Indian Boarding School
Following the release of the U.S. Department of the Interior's final report, we at Native News Online took a moment to reflect on our extensive three-year effort to highlight the traumatic legacy of Indian boarding schools. By covering all 12 Road to Healing events and publishing over 250 articles, we have amplified survivors' voices and illuminated the lasting impact on Indigenous communities. Our work continues. Please consider donating to help fund our ongoing coverage of Indian boarding schools.