Restaurant serves endangered whale meat to vegan woman

A restaurant in Santa Monica, California has been charged by federal prosecutors with serving the meat of an endangered species, the sei whale, as a sushi dish as a result of a bizarre undercover operation in which a vegan customer had to eat the meat of the whale on three separate occasions to gain the confidence of the restaurant staff according to an Associated Press report.

The Hump Restaurant Filmed Feeding Endangered Whale to Vegan Woman

Two women acting went to the Hump, an upscale Santa Monica restaurant with an undercover film crew arranged by the Oscar-winning director of The Cove, Louie Psihoyos. They racked up a tab of $600, according to the report, asking for increasingly exotic sushi dishes, finally requesting whale meat. The sushi chef then, says the complaint, served them the endangered sei whale. The two ladies snuck a piece of the meat out of the restaurant and had it genetically tested to confirm that it was indeed whale, and an endangered species, the sei whale, at that.

Sei Whale is an Endangered Species

The sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. As such, trade in its flesh or other sei whale products is prohibited under US law. Sei whales can reach sixty feet in length and weigh as much as 100,000 pounds when full-grown. Sei whales can be found throughout the temperate oceans, but seasonally migrate to the waters of the Arctic and Antarctic. Anyone caught trafficking in sei whale products are subject to up to one year in prison and fines of up to $100,000.

NOAA Investigators Witness Illegal Whale Sushi

On the third visit to the Hump, the two undercover, sushi-eating vegans were accompanied by agents of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who sat near the sushi bar watching the chef, Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, at work. AT one point after receiving the order for whale meat, he left the restaurant to retrieve a package wrapped in clear plastic, presumably, the whale meat. One can only hope it was well refrigerated while stored in the car.

Chef and the Hump Admit Guilt

The AP reports that court records indicate Chef Yamimoto admitted under interrogation to serving the meat of the sei whale while the restaurant’s owners have accepted responsibility for the incident and are willing to pay the fine. With a maximum penalty of $200,000 and at least some sushi diners, such as the two ladies who went undercover in this case, willing to pay $600 or more an evening, it certainly won’t take the Hump long to recoup that amount.

Origin of Sei Whale Meat Unknown

The whale meat sushi was clearly identified as such by both the waitress and the check presented to the two undercover diners. Crystal Galbraith, one of the two investigators told the AP, “It was heartbreaking to eat an endangered animal… We were there eating for four hours. I felt so full and sick.” Although the restaurant serves Japanese cuisine, it is not clear from the sei whale meat originated. Japan is known for its active whaling fleet which does sell the meat of the whales it hunts “for research purposes” for consumption in Japan. Sei whale is legally hunted by the native people of Alaska and Canada, though the sale of sei whale meat is illegal, even for them.

Sources:

Sushi Chef Charged with Serving Illegal Whale. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i_6uNDkoNrQ2RpOO6IQjePRs4czQD9EC7AHO2 on March 11, 2010.
Sei Whale. NOAA. Retrieved from http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/seiwhale.htm on March 11, 2010

------

You may also like:

Humpback Whale Behavior Stuns Whale Watch Passengers

Seagull Swallows Tern Whole in Front of Birdwatching Cruise Passengers

Brad Sylvester is also the Manchester Bird Watching Examiner and writes on Space Matters and other topics for Associated Content.