SEATTLE — The Makah tribe’s proposed return to legal whale hunting would have little effect on the environment — including on the targeted gray whales — according to a federal study.
The long-awaited draft environmental impact statement was released Friday by the National Marine Fisheries Service at its regional headquarters in Seattle.
The statement addressed the possible effects of Makah whaling on shellfish beds, free-swimming and bottom-dwelling organisms, other marine mammals, tourism, whale-watching, shipping, sport fishing, human health and public safety.
Its “Cumulative Effects” chapter concluded that effects on these areas would be minor.
Concerning Makah whaling’s impact on whales, it noted that about seven whales are killed inadvertently by the U.S. commercial fishery each year, and one dies each year when struck by a ship — twice the number the Makah seek to take.
