Fishermen’s Lives in Yemen Changed Overnight After They Found Whale Vomit Worth More than 200 Billion

You should know by now that whale vomit is an extremely valuable commodity. When a group of Yemeni fishermen discovered a sperm whale carcass, they struck gold worth more than IDR 200 billion.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries on the planet, with fishing as its primary source of income.

When they came across a whale carcass in the Gulf of Aden in southern Yemen, they discovered ambergris (a solid, waxy, dull gray, blackish substance formed in the digestive system of sperm whales).

The whale corpse was first discovered by a fisherman from Seriah, who informed a group of 35 people in the Gulf of Aden that it might contain ambergris.

When the fishermen discovered the dead whale, they detected a strong odor of marine feces and realized there was something in the whale’s stomach.

They were able to haul the dead whale ashore.

A lump of ambergris measuring 127kg was discovered after it was dissected.

“That is an unfathomable cost. We are all impoverished. “We never expected this thing to pay us so much,” one of the fisherman told the BBC.

Ambergris has also been referred to as “sea treasure” or “floating gold.” Because it is utilized in perfumes to help them last longer, it is the most sought-after ingredient. Ambergris can fetch up to $50,000 USD (about Rp. 712 million) per kilogram.

The fishermen sold it to a dealer from the United Arab Emirates for about $1.5 million USD (about Rp. 213 billion). They split the revenues 50-50 and donated some of the proceeds to local needy families.