Thai fisherman sets for windfall after finding valuable whale vomit
- 5 years ago
A broke fisherman set for windfall after landing a huge lump of valuable whale vomit.
Jumrus Thiachot, 55, spotted the 14lbs piece of Ambergris while he was walking along the beach in Koh Samui of Surat Thani, southern Thailand, earlier this year.
The fisherman - unsure of what it was - kept it in his shed and carried on working, earning around 400 baht (10.25GBP) a day.
Jumrus asked his neighbours to help him check the substance and they cut slices off but told him their tests had not been successful.
Officials from the local government finally visited the fisherman at his home on Tuesday (October 22) where they confirmed the waxy lump was genuine whale vomit.
Jumrus's prize catch could be worth as much as 320,000USD, based on previous sale prices of Ambergris.
The cash-strapped fisherman said that 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 would 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 and I will sell it.''
Surat Thani provincial governor Witchawuth Jinto arrived with specialists and they confirmed that the chunk contained more than 80 percent of Ambergris.
Witchawuth said they are now advising Jumrus on what he should do next to get the best price for his lucky find.
Ambergris is produced by sperm whales when their bile ducts in the gastrointestinal tract make secretions to ease the passage of large or sharp objects. The whale vomits the mucilage which solidifies and has a foul smell.
However, after the mucilage dries out the chunk will start to smell good which makes it a sought-after ingredient in the perfume fragrance industry, because of its good long-lasting smell.
In April 2016, a 1.57-kilogram ambergris ball found in Lancashire was sold for GBP50,000, while in November of the same year, three Omani fishermen found 80 kilograms of ambergris and sold it for 3 million USD.
Jumrus Thiachot, 55, spotted the 14lbs piece of Ambergris while he was walking along the beach in Koh Samui of Surat Thani, southern Thailand, earlier this year.
The fisherman - unsure of what it was - kept it in his shed and carried on working, earning around 400 baht (10.25GBP) a day.
Jumrus asked his neighbours to help him check the substance and they cut slices off but told him their tests had not been successful.
Officials from the local government finally visited the fisherman at his home on Tuesday (October 22) where they confirmed the waxy lump was genuine whale vomit.
Jumrus's prize catch could be worth as much as 320,000USD, based on previous sale prices of Ambergris.
The cash-strapped fisherman said that 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 would 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 and I will sell it.''
Surat Thani provincial governor Witchawuth Jinto arrived with specialists and they confirmed that the chunk contained more than 80 percent of Ambergris.
Witchawuth said they are now advising Jumrus on what he should do next to get the best price for his lucky find.
Ambergris is produced by sperm whales when their bile ducts in the gastrointestinal tract make secretions to ease the passage of large or sharp objects. The whale vomits the mucilage which solidifies and has a foul smell.
However, after the mucilage dries out the chunk will start to smell good which makes it a sought-after ingredient in the perfume fragrance industry, because of its good long-lasting smell.
In April 2016, a 1.57-kilogram ambergris ball found in Lancashire was sold for GBP50,000, while in November of the same year, three Omani fishermen found 80 kilograms of ambergris and sold it for 3 million USD.