complaint said . A receipt from the restaurant at the end of the meal identified their selection as `` whale '' and `` horse '' with a cost of $ 85 written next to them . The women snuck pieces of the meat into a napkin and later sent them for examination to a researcher at Oregon State University . He identified the whale sample to be that of sei whale , prosecutors said . The meat from whales , considered an endangered species , can not be sold legally in the United States . The restaurant , located at the Santa Monica Airport , is known for its exotic fare . Its Web site asks diners to surrender themselves to its chefs for `` a culinary adventure ... unlike any that you have previously experienced . '' Prosecutors have also charged Typhoon Restaurant Inc. , the parent company of the restaurant , and one of its chefs -- Kiyoshiro Yamamoto , 45 -- with the illegal sale of a marine mammal product for an unauthorized purpose . The misdemeanor charge carries a federal prison sentence of up to a year and a fine of up to $ 200,000 for
Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A trendy California sushi restaurant says it 's closing after being accused of serving illegal whale meat . The company that owns Santa Monica 's The Hump restaurant had already apologized for the whale meat accusation earlier in the week . The restaurant 's Web site said : `` After 12 years doing business in Santa Monica , The Hump will be closing its doors effective March 20 , 2010 . The Hump hopes that by closing its doors , it will help bring awareness to the detrimental effect that illegal whaling has on the preservation of our ocean ecosystems and species . '' The investigation into the eatery began in October when two members of the team that made the documentary , `` The Cove '' visited The Hump , officials said . `` The Cove , '' which exposes the annual killing of dolphins at a Japanese fishing village , won the Academy Award for Best Documentary earlier in March . Armed with a hidden camera , two women from the documentary captured the waitress serving them whale and horse meat and identifying them as such , a federal criminal