A local seafood dealer in California was sentenced to two years of probation for violating a United States law against the importation and sale of endangered whale meat.
In 2011, fifty-four-year-old Ginichi Ohira was sentenced in abstentia by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul L. Abrams after pleading guilty to knowingly and purposefully handling meat obtained from internationally protected species for the purpose of eating. This act was in direct violation of sanctions set by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Ohira was the final defendant to receive sentencing in a five-year-old case that stems from an investigation of a documentary film, entitled The Cove. Producers of the show secretly recorded a sushi chef working at The Hump who illegally served diners with meat taken from federally protected sei whales.
While he originally operated out of Gardena, California, Ohira has returned to his native country Japan several years ago.
Dennis Mitchell, the U.S. attorney who handled the case, said that they are pleased that the five-year case is over and that justice has been served.
Located near the Santa Monica Airport, The Hump was shut down by local authorities after undercover agents and advocates of environmental protection found the violation.
Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, the chef that was captured on film, was ordered to pay a fine in May worth $5,000. He was also ordered by the court to serve 200 hours of community service as part of a two-year probation.
According to international protection laws, sei whales are regarded as both endangered species and protected marine mammals. In the United States, it is prohibited by federal law to sell whale meat of any kind.
Aside from Yamamoto, others initially charged in the case include Susumu Ueda, Yamamoto's fellow chef at The Hump, and the restaurant's parent company called Typhoon Restaurant Inc. The charges were later dropped, but they were refiled and revised in 2014.
Ueda and Yamamoto both pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of conspiracy, as well for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The court gave Ueda the same sentence as Yamamoto.
Brian Vido, owner of The Hump, was sentenced to pay fines and serve probation after admitting that he knew about his chefs serving illegal whale meat.
Photo: Ari Helminen | Flickr
