Washington’s Makah Indian tribe seeks to resume its traditional practice of hunting gray whales of eastern North Pacific. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is inviting public comments on a new Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that evaluates the Makah Tribe's request to resume whale hunting.

The Makah wants to hunt whales for ceremonial and subsistence purposes, which is also their legal right under the tribe's 1855 treaty with the US government.

The tribe also hunted a gray whale off Washington’s Olympic Peninsula in 1999 and drew international criticism from animal rights groups.

On tribe's website, it wrote, “The event of a whale hunt requires rituals and ceremonies which are deeply spiritual. Makah whaling the subject and inspiration of Tribal songs, dances, designs, and basketry. For the Makah Tribe, whale hunting provides a purpose and a discipline which benefits their entire community".

Five options have been proposed by NOAA Fisheries. One would allow the tribe to take up to five whales per year and the other would continue a prohibition against hunting gray whales.

According to Donna Darm, associate deputy regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region, this is the first step in a public process of considering this request that might provide authorization to the tribe to hunt gray whales.

Opportunity is being given to the public to look at the alternatives they have developed. The public opinion would let them know if they have completely analyzed the impacts. The public can submit comments over the next 90 days and the NOAA has planned for public meetings in April.

Although the population of eastern North Pacific gray whales is around 20,000, other types of gray whales, which include those that spend much of their time near Russia, also appear off the Washington coast and are far more endangered.