The Makah tribe has been denied a federal request for a $1.2 million boat that would be used for whaling research and fisheries enforcement.
Tribal Council Chairman Gordon Smith on Wednesday confirmed that the tribe did not receive its request, which Makah natural resources staff submitted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in November.
The request for a research vessel accompanied a proposal for $70,000 from the National Marine Fisheries Service to hire a whaling manager and develop a needs statement for a new whaling quota.
Smith said he did not know the status of the latter request.