California restaurant shuts after whale meat sting

Caught in a sting by Oscar-winning film-makers, a top California fish restaurant has shut its doors after being exposed selling illegal whale meat at $85 (£57) a plate. The Hump, a sushi restaurant near Santa Monica airport, was the subject of a secret camera operation by producers of The Cove, a movie chronicling environmentalists' battles with Japanese dolphin hunters, which won best documentary at this year's Academy awards. The restaurant was selling a meal billed as omakase , a Japanese term for chef's choice. Posing as diners last month, while in town for the Oscars, the film-makers discreetly recorded a waitress describing slices of exotic pink flesh on their plates as kujira , meaning whale. Facing a fine of up to $20,000 and a possible year's imprisonment, the owners of the restaurant shut up shop yesterday, describing closure as "a self-imposed punishment on top of the fine that will be meted out in court". The Hump pledged a "substantial contribution" to charities aimed at preserving the endangered whale population, adding: "The Hump apologises to our loyal customers, the community of Santa Monica and the public at large for our actions." Charles Hambleton, associate director of The Cove, was tipped off about the restaurant's allegedly illegal activity and sent two animal activists, wearing secret cameras, for a lengthy dining session. The activists, one of whom is a vegan, sampled blowfish and other seafood to gain the confidence of staff before whale was served. The pair secreted a sample into a Ziploc bag and sent it to a laboratory, where it was identified as sei whale meat, which is commonly consumed in Japan and Norway but prohibited from export owing to the animal's endangered status.