Whale vomit lands family a fortune

Next time you're walking along the beach looking for pretty shells, make sure you keep an eye out for whale spew... I'm not kidding, as the ABC story below outlines, the stuff is as rare as... well, whale spew! And, it's worth a whopping $US20 a gram.

It's the cocaine of the sea world my friends. 'Hey man, you wanna score some primo whale vomit? Pure Minke Gold my friend...' Of course, the sharks of this world would be cutting it with a bit of blowfish puke, or a smidgen of salmon sick. The old lament rings out, 'You just can't buy pure whale chuck like the old days...'

It's been reported that some unscrupulous dealers are kidnapping whales and sticking their fingers down the back of their throats to force a vomit out. To date, not many people have survived the practice, but I'm sure if anyone can the Japanese will. Sorry my Japanese-based readers, but harpooning whales off Antarctica under the guise of research is quite frankly enough to make me sick.

So, how do you recognise the good stuff? Authorities tell me there is one vital ingredient essential to all puke whether it be whale, human, or whatever - the ubiquitous diced carrott - it's everywhere.

Happy puke hunting!

Whale spew find may net $1m for family

A family on South Australia's west coast has discovered a rare specimen of whale vomit on the beach that is tipped to be worth over $1 million.
The specimen, known scientifically as ambergris, is sought after by perfume companies and worth about $US20 per gram.
The sample found on a beach near Streaky Bay weighs 14.75 kilograms.
Ken Jury, who is representing the family, says this is the first discovery of ambergris in South Australia.
He says the last specimen found in Australia was in Queensland.
"Two small pieces were found that I would suggest together would make up half the size of the one that's been found at Streaky Bay, and they realised something like $190,000 each," he said.