So are you telling me, they killed the whale without a permit.... and the feds said hey plead guilty and there you go. And then the tribe said we will try you guys, and they get a 20 dollar fine. If that is how it went down then yea that is unjust.
To knowingly go after a creature like that is one thing, if I was sober, went and hunted a whale and killed a whale then I would expect to be sitting in a federal prison for at least a year. That is just my opinion, same thing with a bald eagle or any other species of that nature. Same thing for those who whack endangered parrots, or whatever it may be in whatever nation.
Pleading guilty does not mean a thing if their is no consequence.