Austrian Fined $1,500 in Hawaii for Harassing Whales
HONOLULU — An Austrian tourist was fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to harassing whales off Maui.
“It seems perfectly clear that he was chasing the whales,†U.S. Magistrate Daral Conklin said Monday in imposing the fine on Peter Gottwald. “Were he a U.S. citizen, he would spend several nights in jail.â€
In exchange for the guilty plea, the U.S. attorney’s office dropped its request for a jail sentence.
Gottwald and his girlfriend rented a boat on Jan. 3 and went to a protected area to get a better look at the whales. Gottwald said he did not think he was harassing the whales and was not sure how close he was allowed to get.
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