Squaxin Island Tribe denies killing harbor seals

Friday, September 21, 2007  

The Squaxin Island Tribe of Washington says it's not behind the large number of dead harbor seals.

Seventeen dead seals have been found in south Puget Sound. But the tribe says only one death can be attributed to tribal hunters.

The tribe says it has a right to kill seals that interfere with its treaty-guaranteed fishing rights. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says a recent court decision affecting the Makah Nation's whaling rights invalidated a key federal regulation.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said tribes cannot kill animals protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act without obtaining a waiver. The regulation had allowed tribes to kill animals without seeking a permit.

Get the Story:
Tribe doesn't have right to kill seals, NOAA says (The Olympian 9/21)

$rl Squaxin Island Indian Tribe - http://www.squaxinisland.org
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - http://www.noaa.gov