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A group of tourists could be jailed and fined up to $10,000 after allegedly breaking the law by filming a whale.

They cooed and simpered as the gray whale approached them off the coast of Fort Bragg, Ca. last week.

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But conservation experts say they and boat firm Anchor Charter Boats may have broken a federal law forbidding anyone from going within 300 feet of the sea mammals.

Center For Biology spokesman Steve Jones slammed the video, saying he was ‘Kind of appalled.’


Steve explained: ‘Especially because it’s being presented as, ‘how cute, you can pet the whales.

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‘You really have to put this a lot on the company. They should know better. And you can face up to a $25,000 fine or lose a vessel.’

Others also condemned the excursion on Facebook, with one commenter writing: ‘Leave the whales alone!

‘Stay at least 300 feet away to enjoy them. Shame on you people!’

It is not illegal to idle alongside a whale – although other experts have warned the creature could easily have hurt or killed boat passengers had it decided to fling its tail.

Boat Captain Richard Thornton defended the excursion to USA Today, saying: ‘We had no bad responses from our passengers.

‘All of them were in awe of how docile and friendly the whale was with our boat.

‘Obviously, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the gray whale was enjoying our company as much as we were his.

‘You cannot harass them, but nothing we did was against the law.’