IWC Approves Makah Whale Quota

KONP AM 1450 Serving the Olympic Peninsula

"Makah given whaling approval
May 30th, 2007 - 10:52am

(Port Angeles) - The Makah tribe has international approval to hunt gray whales for another five years. The International Whaling Commission gave approval for the Neah Bay tribe to kill 20 whales. But the tribe still must get a waiver of the federal marine Mammal Protection Act before any more hunts can begin. It could be years before another whale is harpooned off the Olympic Peninsula. The tribe last killed a gray whale in 1999. Makah Councilman Micah McCarty says yesterday's announcement is a symbolic victory, since whale hunting is tied up in other legal battles."

International Whaling Commission to Review Quotas for North Pacific Gray Whales

MERCAPESCA.NET The Portal for Fish Markets and the Fishing Sector reports:

"U.S Prepares to Host the International Whaling Commission

The United States government supports aboriginal subsistence whaling, and believes the quotas should be favorably reviewed

The United States will host the 2007 annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Anchorage, AK, on May 28-31, 2007. As current Chair of the IWC, NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, Dr. William T. Hogarth is preparing for intense discussions at this year's meeting. A critical focus of this year's meeting will be review of the U.S. subsistence hunting quotas of the Western Arctic bowhead whale and gray whale. Ten Alaska Native villages in the far north conduct subsistence bowhead whale hunts overseen by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and NOAA Fisheries. Also under consideration this year are aboriginal whaling quotas for the eastern population of the North Pacific gray whale by the Makah Indian Tribe."

Plan to Fill Potholes

From the Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region

Potholes Reservoir Supplemental Feed Route

Draft Environmental Assessment

Overview

The Bureau of Reclamation has completed the Potholes Reservoir Supplemental Feed Route Draft Environmental Assessment. The document describes the preferred alternative, which is to release feed water from Billy Clapp Reservoir into Brook Lake and then convey it down Crab Creek to Potholes Reservoir. The supplemental feed route study also examined using the West Canal and Frenchman Hills Wasteway to convey water to Potholes.

More about the study

For years water has been fed to Potholes Reservoir through the East Low Canal of the Columbia Basin Project, but due to operational changes over the years, it has become difficult to ensure the ability to supply the entire feed to Potholes Reservoir. The use of Crab Creek as a viable alternative will ensure that Potholes Reservoir has a reliable water source.

The deadline for comments on the draft environmental assessment is May 27, 2007. Written comments can be sent to Bureau of Reclamation, Attention: Jim Blanchard, Special Projects Manager, PO Box 815, Ephrata, WA 98823-0815.


Public Meeting The Bureau of Reclamation will hold a public meeting about the draft environmental assessment on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at Reclamation's Ephrata Field Office, 32 C Street in Ephrata, Washington.

The meeting facility is accessible to people with disabilities. Please contact Jim Blanchard at (509) 754-0226 if you need sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids.

Washington State Patrol Catches Zebra Mussels at the Border

Update: See this article in the Seattle Times for more.

KOIN News 6

RIDGEFIELD, Wash. - A trailered houseboat was decontaminated after shells from a highly invasive mussel were found on the stern.

The 75-foot-long houseboat was on its way from Missouri when it stopped at the Washington State Patrol weigh station near Ridgefield. Officials discovered dried shells and held the vessel overnight.

Fish and wildlife agents call zebra mussels the biggest living danger to our ecology and economy.

Good catch! Kudos to the State Patrol for spotting the problem and to KOIN for reporting it.