Feds indict whale hunters

Tribe Members Indicted in Whale HuntA federal grand jury has charged five American Indians with misdemeanor counts in the killing of a protected gray whale without a permit last month, the government said Thursday.

The indictment charges the men, all members of the Makah tribe, with conspiracy, unlawful taking of a marine mammal and unauthorized whaling, all punishable by up to a year in jail and a $100,000 fine.

The men did not have permission for the hunt from the federal government or leaders of the tribe, which has more than 1,000 members.