Things are just getting absurd. In the midst of news that the IWC may consider legalizing commercial whaling, a Santa Monica sushi restaurant is busted for serving whale meat. Even if whaling were legal, this would still be a big, illegal mess for the restaurant, Hump, and the Typoon Restaurant chain that manages them. It is illegal to sell — or eat — marine mammals in the United States.

From what I can see, Hump did not even try to hide the fact that they offer whale meat on their menu. The sushi in question is readily identified by servers, and is included in the restaurant’s version of omakase — a chef’s choice sushi meal. This appears to be how the restaurant got busted. Charles Hambleton — associate producer of The Cove — got a tip about the whale sushi from friends in the music industry.

Hambleton wasted no time. He joined forces with several activists, and together they proved the tip was correct. Their technique? They walked into the restaurant and ordered the whale. Ok, they used hidden cameras and kept in touch with text messages, but this was no high-tech sting operation. It didn’t need to be. After their meal, the group sent samples of the whale off to Scott Baker of Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. He identified the sample as sei whale, an endangered species that is hunted by Japan’s whale research program.

Add in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Commerce, a US attorney, the Border Control and a slew of federal investigators, and this became a very big deal. And it should be. Owning or selling marine mammals (or their meat) is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Federal authorities have now officially charged Typhoon Restaurant, Inc. — Hump’s parent company — with the illegal sale of a marine mammal.

By the way, if you missed the Oscars, you can watch the bit where “The Cove” wins Best Documentary here.

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