The Makah Tribe has applied for a permit to resume its traditional whale hunt this July. The tribe, based in Neah Bay in the northwest corner of Washington state, has conducted a permitted hunt only once in the last 25 years, despite its exclusive treaty right to whaling.
The Neah Bay Treaty of 1855 is the only one — of hundreds of agreements between tribes and the United States — that explicitly mentions whaling. The Makah Tribe voluntarily ceased the practice in the 1920s when commercial whaling caused the target species of gray whales and humpbacks to plummet.
They requested to resume in 1994, after gray whales had recovered and were taken off the endangered species list. They took one whale in the 1999 hunt, before it was shut down due to lawsuits and threats from animal rights protestors.
“We've gone a whole generation since our last whale hunt, and people have missed out on that opportunity in their development — as a leader, as a good, contributing member of the society and community," Makah Tribal Council Chairman Timothy Greene told KNKX. "It's important to us.”
The permit application outlines the Makah Tribe’s plans for a traditional and subsistence hunt of eastern North Pacific gray whales during two summer/fall seasons, from July to October in 2025 and 2027.
“That's our goal, is to do it this summer,” Greene said.
He added that a lot of factors still have to come together to make the hunt a reality – from the federal approval, to figuring out who the whalers will be and training them physically and spiritually.
If they’re not ready, Greene said the tribe can apply for another permit later.
“There's nothing in the waiver that restricts us to only one permit. We could submit a permit for a hunt in the spring, if we chose to do so, next year,” he said.
If approved, the summer/fall hunt would allow up to two strikes and one landed whale each season. Up to 142 approaches and 12 unsuccessful strikes per year are also requested. All of these would take place off the Washington coast in usual and accustomed hunting grounds, west of Cape Flattery.
In June 2024, federal regulators approved the tribe’s request for a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the first step toward approval of the long-awaited resumption of their hunt. That process established regulations that serve as a foundation for the permitting process.
Greene said in a press release that this latest step is a continuation of the tribe's commitment to managing natural resources, while also exercising their treaty rights.
"Whaling is deeply rooted in Makah culture, history, and identity, and we remain dedicated to conducting our hunts in accordance with sustainable practices, applicable law, and Makah's time-honored traditions, as we have for thousands of years," Greene said in the statement.
The permit application is now open for public comment until May 5.
NOAA Fisheries will consider the comments and decide whether to approve the application based on the hunting regulations in the waiver — as well as whether additional requirements are necessary.
The agency declined to provide any additional comment, noting that the final decision is pending through this new permitting process.
