Yemen fishermen hit jackpot with million-dollar find in whale's belly

MSN ^ | 6/16/2021 | not listed

[sodpoodle]

For Yemeni fisherman Fares Abdulhakeem and his friends, the day was like any other as they headed out to sea to earn a living in the war-torn country -- until they hit the jackpot in the belly of a whale. Abdulhakeem related how he was among 35 fishermen who stumbled upon a floating sperm whale carcass in February, about 26 kilometres (16 miles) off the coast of the southern city of Aden. He said they dragged the dead mammal back to shore, where they sliced it open and struck "floating gold", or ambergris, a rare substance formed in the whale's digestive system which is used in making perfume. The 127-kilogram (280-pound) lump of ambergris was sold to an Emirati businessman for more than $1.5 million -- an unimaginable sum for many living in what the UN says is one of the world's poorest countries. Some of the money was used to help those in need in the community, while the rest was split among the group of fishermen. Yemeni fishermen have traditional knowledge that ambergris -- a waxy substance used to stabilise the scent in perfumes -- can be found in sperm whales, but actually coming across one is a vanishingly rare event. The discovery has transformed their lives. "I head out to sea every day in search of my daily catch, and on one of those days we found a dead whale. It turned out to be whale full of ambergris," Abdulhakeem said.

[sodpoodle]

smells fishy

[Sacajaweau]

Perfume out of a stinky fish...Man is so clever. My question is...who figured out that you could make perfume out of it...and why even try??

L'eau de ????????

[ProtectOurFreedom]

You, too, can wear dead whale vomit…

A classic fougère. Herbaceous, green and fern-like in identity, this precedent-setting fragrance from Creed, created by Olivier Creed in 1985, has a big, bold, powerful character and still remains the epitome of masculine elegance. A signature scent of the house (Creed has been making fine fragrance since 1760 and is still a family business incidentally) and with a huge celebrity following (George Clooney and Cary Grant being fans allegedly), it is like a walk through the Irish countryside; inspired by the lush greenery of the Emerald Isle, its landed gentry and wild flowers and herbs warmed by a coastal breeze. Featuring Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian lemon and pink peppercorn as its opening gambit, with pepper, iris, Bulgarian rose and peppermint at its heart and sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli and ambergris in the dry-down. £230 for 100ml ($320).

[Sirius Lee]

who figured out that you could make perfume out of it...and why even try??

Probably Jonah. Why? Dude just got puked out of a whale and said "Hey, I smell pretty good". If that doesn't green light you to "go for it", then nothing will.

[Sacajaweau]

Found in the belly, it is usually vomited...they lucked out before the whale puked his guts out.

[sodpoodle]

I have one of these! found it when moving/packing. Not new so it might not be worth much;)

Rare Vintage Liz Claiborne Perfume & Lotion Set Gift Box ~ Yellow Triangle 1980s
Condition:New with box
Price:US $175.00
https://www.ebay.com/itm/254609420508?hash=item3b47e770dc:g:dccAAOSwrQ9ezciY

[Gay State Conservative]

I'll stick with Irish Spring bath soap and whatever deodorant is on sale at CVS.

[AndyJackson]

Can we buy a couple of bottles for the members of the JCS. I hear they are running out of perfume.

[hecticskeptic]

Found in the belly, it is usually vomited...they lucked out before the whale puked his guts out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
https://www.ambergrisnz.co.nz/how-ambergris-formed

According to this site, it leaves the whale via a different orifice...unless it gets so big it is in the whale’s intestines when it dies, perhaps the cause of the death. Gives new meaning to ‘backed up’...

[HighSierra5]

I thought maybe they found Jonah’s piggy bank.

[Tucker39]

Jonah wasn’t swallowed by a whale. The Book sez God prepared A GREAT FISH to swallow Jonah. Whale are mammals. They have teats like an elephant.
No charge for the lesson. 😉

[ClearCase_guy]

fishermen who stumbled upon a floating sperm whale carcass

Not sure how much to trust that.

I think that if an American were to harvest a sperm whale, it would be a crime against humanity.
A muslim can get a pass on that (because they're awesome) but from a public relations standpoint, maybe it's best to say that they were not hunting whales. They just found one.

[Ge0ffrey]

Sacajaweau, you should take over the Jimmy Kimmel show.

[gr8eman]

You can get that perfume for 70 bucks. WTF?

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Worth a try.

My favorite perfume, Venezia (original formulation) is selling for $200+.....and some bottles are half used.

[al baby]

Well some one said lets eat that thing that came out of a hens ass

[al baby]

Hence San Diego

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Melville has an anecdote in Moby Dick about a Frenchman (whale ship) and ambergris. The Frenchman caught a sperm whale full of ambergris, which makes an awful smell. The Pequod happens upon the lucky find. Captain Ahab, good Christian that he is, gravely warns the French captain that ambergris is the smell of a dangerously diseased whale, and he should cut it loose and sail as far away as possible, as soon as possible. Once the Frenchman departs, Ahab pulls the prize aboard the Pequod.

[Textide]

Yep. That was my first thought. Hunting passed off as luck because they are from a third world country.

[dainbramaged]

I think that if an American were to harvest a sperm whale, it would be a crime against humanity.
It would be treated as a federal crime due to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, signed by Nixon in 1974. Before that, you could hunt seals and polar bear, plus pick up highly valuable chunks of ambergris off the beach and sell them.