Request for Public Comment on a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement Regarding the Makah Tribe's Request To Hunt Eastern North Pacific Gray Whales

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this notice announces that NMFS has prepared a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) to supplement information in the 2015 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the Makah Tribe’s request that NMFS waive the take moratorium of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to allow for treaty right hunting of eastern North Pacific (ENP) gray whales in usual and accustomed grounds off the coast of Washington State. The SDEIS considers a composite action alternative, which is composed of elements from the five action alternatives already analyzed in the DEIS, and provides recent updates on the affected environment and the environmental impacts associated with the composite alternative. NMFS is requesting written comments on the SDEIS to assist NMFS with its final decision on the Tribe’s request.