Gray whale

A dark, barnacle covered whale head pokes up above gray water with a beach and tents on shore behind it.

Bellamy Pailthorp

Gray whales are often seen migrating along the Washington coast. But there’s just one place in the world where people can go to try and touch them.

In this Aug. 20, 1998, photo, members of the Makah Tribe paddle away from the rising sun as they head from Neah Bay toward open Pacific Ocean waters during a practice paddle ahead of its first whale hunt in 70 years.

Environment

Makah Tribe seeks to resume its whaling tradition this summer

Bellamy Pailthorp

The Makah Tribe has formally requested permission to resume its traditional whale hunt this July. A permit application is out for public comment.

Makah Indians paddle their 32-foot canoe "Hummingbird" into open Pacific Ocean waters during a practice on Aug. 20, 1998 in Neah Bay, Wash. At left is Dwight Tevuk and right is Eric Johnson. The Makah tribe is poised to go on its first whale hunt in 70 years this fall, hoping to take at least one gray whale as the animals migrate south from the Aleutian chain to warmer southern waters. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Environment

After nearly 25 years, federal officials approve a limited Makah whale hunt

Bellamy Pailthorp

After an extended — and unprecedented process — NOAA Fisheries has granted the Makah tribe’s request for a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The tribe hopes to exercise their treaty right to whaling next spring.

A gray whale dives near Whidbey Island as seen from a Pacific Whale Watch Association vessel on May 4, 2022, in Washington state.

Environment

Gray whale die-off is officially over, but climate change adds uncertainty

Bellamy Pailthorp

According to NOAA, an ‘unusual mortality event' that was killing off gray whales on the west coast has ended. But climate change is adding uncertainty to their conclusions.

FILE - In this May 24, 2019, photo, teachers and students from Northwest Montessori School in Seattle examine the carcass of a gray whale after it washed up on the coast of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, just north of Kalaloch Campground in Olympic National Park. U.S. researchers say the number of gray whales off western North America has continued to fall over the last two years, a decline that resembles previous population swings over the past several decades. According to an assessment by NOAA Fisheries, as of November 30th, 2023 690 gray whale strandings were documented as part of an unusual mortality event, representing a population decline of 46 percent. (AP Photo/Gene Johnson, File)

Environment

Early return of gray whales mirrors timing of unusual mortality event

Bellamy Pailthorp

The "Sounders" returned to the Puget Sound region during their annual migration. However, the whales' early arrival could signal widespread hunger and starvation.

FILE - In this May 17, 1999, file photo, a boy reaches out to touch the carcass as Makah Indian whalers strip a gray whale of its flesh and villagers and media members gather around following the tribe's first successful whale hunt in over 70 years, in Neah Bay, Wash. Federal officials are now supporting the Native American tribe's decades-long request to resume whale hunts off the coast of Washington state.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday, April 4, 2019, announced its proposal to allow the Makah Tribe to hunt and harvest one to three gray whales annually over a 10-year period. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Environment

Makah Tribe still waiting for decision from NOAA on whale hunt

Bellamy Pailthorp

Another key deadline has nearly passed in the Makah Tribe’s request to resume its hunt for gray whales, by getting a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Here are the latest developments.

Environment

Frustration mounts as Makah tribe waits for word on the whale hunt

Bellamy Pailthorp

A final decision on the Makah whale hunt was expected from the head of NOAA Fisheries by the end of June. An administrative law judge recommended approval two years ago, but the agency has still not released its final environmental impact statement.

In this photo provided by NOAA Fisheries, NOAA Fisheries employees conduct a necropsy of a dead sperm whale beached on the Oregon coast near Fort Stevens State Park in Clatsop County, Oregon, on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, two days after it washed ashore. The necropsy determined that a ship strike was the cause of death.

Environment

Third dead whale in a week washes up on Oregon coast

The Associated Press

Three dead whales have washed up on the Oregon coast over the past week. KGW, citing Seaside Aquarium, reports that a baby gray whale washed ashore Wednesday at Fort Stevens State Park, only 100 yards from where a dead sperm whale beached over the weekend. A gray whale also washed up last week on the central coast near Reedsport.

Environment

West Coast gray whale population continues to decline but scientists remain cautiously optimistic

The Associated Press

U.S. researchers say the number of gray whales off western North America has continued to fall over the last two years, a decline that resembles previous population swings over the past several decades.

A woman stands next to hunting canoes below the skeleton of a whale.

Environment

NOAA issues new preferred alternative for Makah whale hunt

Bellamy Pailthorp

A long-awaited decision on the Makah tribe’s application to conduct a whale hunt will come within a year, according to federal regulators with NOAA Fisheries who issued a supplemental environmental impact statement on July 1. The supplemental EIS includes a new preferred alternative that the agency is recommending for approval.