Rayong fisherman nets suspected ambergris worth millions of baht

[webfact]

 

A fishing expedition near Hua Hin beach in Rayong province recently turned up an unexpected catch for a local fisherman, who netted what appeared to be a lump of ambergris, a valuable substance used in the production of perfume.

 

The discovery has sparked excitement among residents, and experts are being called upon to confirm the authenticity of the find.

 

The news team visited a row house in Nong Phrong community, Rayong, where the alleged ambergris was held. A couple, 50 year old Somsak, and 36 year old Narisa presented a greyish-white lump that resembled the precious substance.

When heated, this object immediately turned to boiling oil, a characteristic reaction of genuine ambergris. Weighing approximately 400 grammes and measuring 13 centimetres in length, 8 centimetres in width, and 6 centimetres in thickness, the find could potentially be worth a significant sum.

Somsak claimed that during his routine fishing at the sea near Hua Hin beach in Phang Rard, he stumbled upon the lump and, suspecting it to be ambergris, took it ashore. To confirm his suspicions, he sought the opinion of specialists, despite the object matching descriptions he had found on social media.

 

The fisherman expressed his willingness to sell the piece if it proved to be authentic. He invited interested parties to inspect the find, providing contact information for potential buyers, reported KhaoSod.

 

Ambergris, often referred to as whale vomit, is a rare and valuable substance that forms in the digestive system of sperm whales. Over time, it hardens and floats to the ocean’s surface, and can be found washed up on coastlines. Its rarity and use in high-end perfumes make it highly sought after, with prices reaching tens of thousands of pounds per kilogramme.

 

In related news, Thailand’s Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) unveiled the coveted Koh Yao sea cucumber, freshly adorned with a prestigious geographical indication (GI) stamp.

 

by Nattapong Westwood

Photo courtesy of KhaoSod

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-04

 

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[hotchilli]

400 grams worth millions ?

[josephbloggs]

8 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

400 grams worth millions ?

Yes. 400g is about $100k.

[hotchilli]

1 minute ago, josephbloggs said:

Yes. 400g is about $100k.

Yikes...

[josephbloggs]

Quote

A fishing expedition near Hua Hin beach in Rayong province

 

Hua Hin has moved to Rayong now?

The Thaiger can't even get the basic geography of its own country right.  Appalling.

[Srikcir]

???

"In Thailand, both the sale and possession of ambergris are illegal, but 2021-22 witnessed a spate of seizures."

• "Smuggled wildlife goods pouring out of India" by Jon Whitman, Published 12 December 2022, Updated 21 December 2023. https://thehaiger.com/news/world/

[eisfeld]

1 hour ago, josephbloggs said:

 

Hua Hin has moved to Rayong now?

The Thaiger can't even get the basic geography of its own country right.  Appalling.

 

Looking at google maps I can't see any beach whatsoever in Phang Rat district or Phang Rard as they spelled it. The reporting is so bad...

[PETERTHEEATER]

Reference the related news. Will the Government agency involved be fined for stamping the sea cucumber? 

[gomangosteen]

1 hour ago, eisfeld said:

 

Looking at google maps I can't see any beach whatsoever in Phang Rat district or Phang Rard as they spelled it. The reporting is so bad...

 

View from the campground at Phang Rat, there's beach here, we regularly ride there.

 

The river is the border between Chanthaburi and Rayong provinces.

 

The seawall shown here, immediately past that is coast/beach to Prasae which is mostly inaccessible due to the mangroves forest towards Paknam Prasae, and continues to the better-known Laem Mae Pim beach with all its resorts.

 

Local signposts have English as Phang Rad, Phang Rat, or either of those as one word.

[eisfeld]

1 minute ago, gomangosteen said:

 

View from the campground at Phang Rat, regularly ride there, river is the border between Chanthaburi and Rayong provinces.

The seawall shown here, immediately past that is beach to Prasae and continues to the better-known Laem Mae Pim with all its resorts.

 

Local signposts have English as Phang Rad, Phang Rat, or either of those as one word.

 

Thanks for the information of an actual local.  Unfortunately on the picture there is no beach visible and on Maps it looked like there are trees all the way to the water line. But I'll trust the word of someone familiar with the area. Do you know if there is anything called Hua Hin in the area?

 

[gomangosteen]

^ a lot of that section of coast is more mudflats than white sandy beaches, looks more attractive at high tide.

 

No, I don't know that one, and google map doesn't show individual beach names unless there's a village or town attached to them.

 

Edit: Thairath states location as: Hua Hin bay, Phang Rad Subdistrict, Klaeng District, Rayong Province.

 

Noted there are more than 20 'Nong Prong / Phrong' in Thailand so perhaps they are allowed to have a piece of coast named Hua Hin?

 

Locally we have two Nong Bua 20km apart, two Koh Kwang similarly spaced (and only one is an island, just to confuse!)

 

This potential ambergris find is a change - since early March the more common item is 20kg packages of ice methamphetamine being found along Trat Chanthaburi Rayong coast from a shipment of over 1000kg reported dumped at sea 25 February.

 

I've seen news of ambergris finds before but never seen any outcome of whether it's real or not. Maybe this one?