Strange X-mas gift

[Morningstar]

OK, excuse me for sounding some dumb, but why is it prohibited for trade in the US? It is vomit. Something that really can't be controlled. Whales don't have fingers so they can't very well stick their fingers down their throats. And can't really stick a gun to a whale's head and say "Vomit or else." I guess you could feed a whale a bad piece of whatever they eat and wait around for them to toss their cookies, but can anyone plan it out that well? And actually make a profit from doing so? Just shaking my head that this law is all.

Step One. Kill whale.

Step Two. Take Ambergris.

So, they have vomit in them at all times? Gosh, I am going to have to do some reading up on this. Is it more than just vomit then? What I mean is it stomach bile that hasn't quite made it to the "vomit" stage? The stuff we all have in our stomachs, but only on a really bad day makes it to the stage of leaving our bodies???? Gosh, I am confused. I hate being confused. I will definitely have to read more about this. Thanks, Christopher, for the heads up on this.

[Christopher]

OK, excuse me for sounding some dumb, but why is it prohibited for trade in the US? It is vomit. Something that really can't be controlled. Whales don't have fingers so they can't very well stick their fingers down their throats. And can't really stick a gun to a whale's head and say "Vomit or else." I guess you could feed a whale a bad piece of whatever they eat and wait around for them to toss their cookies, but can anyone plan it out that well? And actually make a profit from doing so? Just shaking my head that this law is all.

Step One. Kill whale.

Step Two. Take Ambergris.

So, they have vomit in them at all times? Gosh, I am going to have to do some reading up on this. Is it more than just vomit then? What I mean is it stomach bile that hasn't quite made it to the "vomit" stage? The stuff we all have in our stomachs, but only on a really bad day makes it to the stage of leaving our bodies???? Gosh, I am confused. I hate being confused. I will definitely have to read more about this. Thanks, Christopher, for the heads up on this.

Vomit is just stomach contents, Ambergris is something different.

In the gut of the whale it is a black, semiviscous and foul-smelling liquid.

Ambergris occurs as a biliary secretion of the intestines of the sperm whale,

I would assume that if it can secrete it, it's in there somewhere. The sell ban is probably to discourage people trying to kill whales for it (whether they actually have it in them or not, to then process it artificially (toting that it's authentic ambergris), or try to feed the damn things squids in the hopes of making it. Either way does sound very unprofitable.

*edit* After reading a couple of articles, it appears that ambergris lumps are kept in the whales intestines for a while before getting expelled, this would mean people might kill sperm whales to grab it.

[Morningstar]

Thanks, Christopher, for doing that research for me. I couldn't for the life of me figure it out. But now it makes perfect sense.

[theonlysaneone]

It seems to me that if they want to prevent people from killing sperm whales, they should make it illegal to kill sperm whales. But I digress.

[ahoteinrun]

It seems to me that if they want to prevent people from killing sperm whales, they should make it illegal to kill sperm whales. But I digress.

I think it already is illegal to kill sperm whales... unless i'm mistaken.
(*ahem* ban whaling please)

[Jacob]

It seems to me that if they want to prevent people from killing sperm whales, they should make it illegal to kill sperm whales. But I digress.

I think it already is illegal to kill sperm whales... unless i'm mistaken.
(*ahem* ban whaling please)

yes...but we are speaking of Ambergris here, which is considered to import, buy or sell because of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. doesn't matter if it's floating in the sea or laying in the sand of a beach either. just seems like a pointless law if it's protecting naturally discarded body parts equilivent to flaked human skin. it's garbage...why not allow it's sell? grrr...

[Mongrel]

just seems like a pointless law if it's protecting naturally discarded body parts equilivent to flaked human skin. it's garbage...why not allow it's sell? grrr...

Well, if it were legal to sell, there would be someone out killing the whales(even if whale-killing were illegal) for the easy profit. Just because it CAN be obtained without killing whales doesn't mean that unscrupulous people would refrain from killing them, and I take the standpoint of "make it harder for poacher-type people to earn a profit, even if it creates a couple problems."
That said, I see the point being made about not being able to sell stuff you found lying around. It's like when you see an eagle feather, but you can't pick it up because it's illegal to carry eagle feathers...but the feathers are nice, and just lying there, going to waste...and you can't do anything about it. Frustrating.

[Jacob]

just seems like a pointless law if it's protecting naturally discarded body parts equilivent to flaked human skin. it's garbage...why not allow it's sell? grrr...

Well, if it were legal to sell, there would be someone out killing the whales(even if whale-killing were illegal) for the easy profit. Just because it CAN be obtained without killing whales doesn't mean that unscrupulous people would refrain from killing them, and I take the standpoint of "make it harder for poacher-type people to earn a profit, even if it creates a couple problems."
That said, I see the point being made about not being able to sell stuff you found lying around. It's like when you see an eagle feather, but you can't pick it up because it's illegal to carry eagle feathers...but the feathers are nice, and just lying there, going to waste...and you can't do anything about it. Frustrating.

you can't pick up eagle feathers? what's up with that? it's not like they are poisonous...are they? *sigh* i'm a firm believer in saving things from waste, and if something like an eagle feather or anything for that matter can still be used in some way, it's more a crime not to take it than to let it rot.

yes, banning the sale of this item deters killing of whales in a way, but it also bars something as silly as this. This is something that the law shouldn't have to withhold.

[TDG]

"Hey, you know that gift I gave you? Yeah...well I ummm...forgot to wrap it! If I could just, y'know, have it back for a while..."

*replaces it with huge chunk of other gross looking substance and runs*

[zorg]

Well, maybe if she was Japanese she would sell it for scientific research (Y)

Then it'd be OKAY!

not being racist, i'm being political