Any ocean-side members ever found an ambergris cache?

[MiddenMonster]

Ambergris is another name for whale vomit. If you ever find one, you can retire. Here's a picture and link to an article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/4642722.stm

[gold fish]

I work in a bra, I've seen alotta barf in my day, but this..................?

[MiddenMonster]

I work in a bra, I've seen alotta barf in my day, but this..................?

Man! That's gotta be the coolest job in the world. I wish I worked in a bra, regardless of the pay. The benefit package more than makes of for it.

If you read the article at the link it says that the whale vomit can float around the ocean for a decade before being washed up on shore. In that time it goes from a foul smelling substance to perfume grade pukey gold. That article also states that it sell for $20/gram. The following is a reference to the largest chunk of ambergris ever found:

http://www.netstrider.com/documents/ambergris/books/
Norwegian Floating Factories, p. 356.

On December 24, 1908 a "boulder" of ambergris weighing 1003 lb., the largest ever found, was brought in by the whalers of Larvik in Norway. It sold for 23,000£ and saved the company from bankruptcy.

So, whipping out the trusty computer calculator, we find that 1003 lbs. X 454 grams to the lb. = 455,362 grams. At $20/gram that works out to $9,107,240! Not bad for stumbling around on the beach. I wonder how many people have found it without knowing what it is, and left it lying there. Or worse, kicked a chunk out of the way because their metal detector alerted to something below it.

[gold fish]

Ok, I'm sorry, this IS a p-g site, I didn't mean to spout off about my job.

(get it,- spout-whale!!! HA!!!)

[ericwt]

If you look under the photo labled AMBERGRIS FACTS with the photo of the whale it says:

Banned in US under endangered species legislation

Only in America can picking up petrified whale vomit be a crime.

ericwt

[MiddenMonster]

If you look under the photo labled AMBERGRIS FACTS with the photo of the whale it says:

Banned in US under endangered species legislation

Only in America can picking up petrified whale vomit be a crime.

I didn't notice that. Thanks for pointing that out. Fortunately, the Canadian and Mexican borders aren't that far away. And the chances that anyone working a border checkpoint would recognize ambergris is probably very small. I wonder why it's banned in the U.S. under endangered species laws? The process by which it is made--floating around the ocean for years, seems to preclude killing a whale and extracting it. An interesting aspect to this is that probable locations for ambergris might be something that can be researched and predicted. If whales have predictable route patterns and other habits someone could compare them to ocean currents and deduce likely locations where it might wash up on shore or be picked up in the ocean.

[diggummup]

Never heard of such a thing! Looks like a rock to me.If it's illegal to posess in the U.S.,where would you sell it,if you did find some and illegally remove it? I doubt anyone has ever been arrested for possesing solidified whale bile.Who the hell would even be on the lookout for it? Sperm whales huh? Interesting.

[ericwt]

MiddenMonster: You might be on to something with this. I still can't figure out why it is on the endangered species list.

This seems right up my alley: In search of whale puke!

You would not have to sell it in the USA or even bring it into the country.But you are right there is a whole world out there.


ericwt

[gold fish]

Whale puke is ENDANGERED!!?!?!!?!? It seem to me the whale would be done with it. That is the without a doubt one of the MOST stupid things I have ever heard, I'm goin' back to the bra!!!!

[mojjax]

Here's a guy that sells it on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ambergris-floati...QQcmdZViewItem

[MiddenMonster]

Here's a guy that sells it on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ambergris-floati...QQcmdZViewItem

That raises a question regarding the law. Is it illegal to possess ambergris in the U.S, or just to sell it? It's the Cuban cigar conundrum all over again...