Posted on 04/14/2016 8:15:43 PM PDT by artichokegrower
Gary and Angela Williams of Northwest England were on a leisurely beach stroll when a pungent rotting-fish smell drew them to a lump of ambergris about the size of an American football.
The couple had read about the waxy excretion formed in the digestion system of sperm whales and often referred to as whale vomit. They knew the substance often used in perfume-making is rare and valuable, and wrapped it in a scarf and took it home.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Actually I believe it is illegal to own or sell ambergris in the US. It is also probably illegal to transport it either across state lines or out of the country.
makes you want to keep a whale in a tank and feed it McDonald’s
“Stupid me. I would have gone “eeewww whale barf” and walked around it.”
And yet, you posted this in News/Activism.
.... Jeeeez ... Wonder what my vomit is worth ..... Heck .... I'd sell it for half that!
“Actually I believe it is illegal to own or sell ambergris in the US.”
I think that does not apply to ambergris when found to have been expelled by the whale.
“In the US, sperm whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which prohibits the use of any product from an endangered species. However, ambergris is regarded as a bit of a ‘grey area’, being a waste product and thus capable of being ‘salvaged’ without needing to harm whales.” http://us.whales.org/blog/2015/09/ambergris-lucky-lucrative-and-legal
.... Only in California .....
Whale vomit? The way I heard it, ambergris comes from the other end of the whale.
I learned about ambergris from Encyclopedia Brown and Smelly Nellie 45 years ago.
Then it would smell like french fries.
i’d make a giant q-tip to shove down its throat
I’d yell-”make me some money, b——!!”
This didn't happen in California. Thanks for playing.
United States – The possession and trade of ambergris is prohibited by the Endangered Species Act of 1973.[18]
whoever figures out a way to administer ipecap to sperm whales will make a fortune.
There’s Jimmy Hoffa!
While technically true (stupid archaic environmental rules which do nothing to help out wildlife), I’ve heard there are way around this if one finds ambergris on the beach.
**Super-size** it for a big pay day.
Whale must’ve been listening to Obama speeches.
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