Three meetings will be held on Wednesday to discuss the Makah Nation's whale hunt.

The sessions, to take place on the Makah Reservation in Washington, are not public comment forums. Instead, they are being used to develop recommendations for an environmental impact study that will be prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The tribe has a treaty-guaranteed right to hunt whales. But the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, in the first ruling of its kind, said the Marine Mammal Protection Act limited the tribe's rights.

The ruling prompted the tribe to seek a waiver under the act. A similar exemption has been granted to Alaska Natives.

Get the Story:
Makah whaling meetings start this week (The Peninsula Daily News 10/2)
Makah to continue whaling (Indian Country Today 10/3)
Makah delegation thanks Russian Chukotka (Indian Country Today 10/3)

Relevant Links:
Makah Nation - http://www.makah.com

Related Stories:
Makah Nation await approval to restart whale hunt (09/19)
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Hearings set on Makah Nation whale hunt waiver (8/25)
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Makah Nation effort on whale hunt seen as long shot (03/21)
Washington tribes press Congress on whale hunt (03/11)
Makah Nation to seek waiver to conduct whale hunt (02/14)
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