BOSTON (AP) – A Massachusetts man has been charged in federal court with capturing a humpback whale.

Federal authorities said Monday that 39-year-old Robert Eldridge of West Chatham violated federal law by taking the whale using a fishing vessel in July 2008.

Humpback whales are protected under both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

If convicted, Eldridge faces up to one year imprisonment and a $100,000 fine.