A Thai fisherman is set for a windfall after he stumbled across a massive lump of ‘whale vomit’, worth an estimated $320,000.
Jumrus Thiachot, 55, spotted the 14lbs piece of ambergris while he was walking along the beach in Koh Samui, southern Thailand, earlier this year.
The fisherman – unsure of what it was – kept the lump of ‘whale vomit’ in his shed and carried on working, earning around 400 baht, the equivalent of £10.25 a day.
Ambergris is often called ‘treasure of the sea’ or ‘floating gold’, as it is a sought-after ingredient in the perfume industry. It contains the odourless alcohol ambrein, which helps scent last longer.
After finding the mass, Jumrus asked his neighbour to help him check whether substance was ambergris. The pair ‘cut slices off’, but Jumrus was told the tests were unsuccessful.
Officials from the local government then visited the fisherman at his home on Tuesday, where they were able to confirm the waxy lump was genuine ‘whale vomit’.
Jumrus’s prize catch could be worth as much as US$320,000, based on previous sale of ambergris.
The cash-strapped fisherman said he had been waiting for almost a year before he contacted the authorities.
He said: ‘Three of my neighbours came after my nephew told the villagers that I found a whale vomit.
‘They asked for slices and said that they will run some checks to prove that it was really a whale vomit, but they said the tests didn’t show anything.
‘I needed to know the truth, so that’s why I contacted the authorities to check. Now I know it is real whale vomit I will sell it.’
Surat Thani provincial governor Witchawuth Jinto arrived with specialists who were able to confirm the mass contained more than 80 per cent of Ambergris.
Witchawuth said he is now advising Jumrus on what he should do next to get the best price for his lucky find.
The solid, waxy substance is said to be formed in the intestine of a sperm whale, when their bile ducts make secretions to ease the passage of large or sharp objects.
It is thought the matter then ‘passes along with faecal matter, forming an obstruction in the rectum’, Richard Sabin, curator of Marine Mammals at the Natural History Museum said.
It is also believed the whale sometimes regurgitates the mass, thus earning it the name ‘whale vomit’.
‘Whale vomit’ is said to have an unpleasant ‘strong faecal’ smell initially, but the scent becomes more pleasant once it dries out.
Ambergris is particularly sought after in the cosmetics industry because a substance known as ambrein, an odourless alcohol, can be extracted from it to make a perfume’s scent last longer.
In April 2016, a 1.57-kilogram ambergris ball found in Lancashire sold for GBP50,000 while in November of the same year, three Omani fishermen found 80 kilograms of ambergris and sold it for US $3million.
