The Hump Closes Down After Being Caught Serving Endangered Whale Meat

The sushi restaurant that was exposed for selling endangered sei whale meat will be closing its doors today after 12 years of business in Santa Monica, according to MyFoxLA. The Hump will close permanently--and voluntarily today in a move described as "a self-imposed punishment" on the restaurant's website.

Offering an apology to the sushi restaurant's many loyal customers, the notice posted online continues:

The Hump's parent company, Typhoon Restaurant Inc., and one of their chefs, Kioyoshiro Yamamoto, were each charged March 10th "in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles March 10 with a misdemeanor count of selling a marine mammal product for an unauthorized purpose." The restaurant and Yamamoto could face up to $200,000 and $100,000 respectively in fines, and Yamamoto could be sentenced to a year in federal prison. After being outed to the media for serving the whale meat, as observed over a period of several months, The Hump's actions drew immediate protest and community and activist backlash.