washes up on the beaches, may be found almost anywhere the land and sea meet. In the United States it is more abundant on the Atlantic coast than on the shores of the Pacific. This is for the obvious reason that sperm whales are scarce in the eastern Pacific, while fairly abundant in the western part of the Atlantic. Drift ambergris is usually found in small pieces but quite frequently in masses of sixty to 250 pounds.
On the Pacific coast there are six commercial whaling stations. They are scattered from Mexico to Alaska, with two in California. These stations have been in operation for years, and report only eighteen sperm whales taken among the hundreds caught. Yet, several noteworthy finds of ambergris have been made there.
Into Port with a Whale, and a Lump of Ambergris That Brought Fisherman $6,720
As may be surmised, the greater part of the commercial ambergris now reaching the markets, comes from the bodies of sperm whales taken by the crews of whaling ships. When a sperm whale is caught, the carcass is always carefully dissected for even the smallest piece of ambergris. The wealth derived from such a find is divided between the owners of the ship and the crew. The world's greatest source of drift ambergris, where it is usually picked up at sea before it ever reaches shore, is in the Indian ocean and the China sea. These seas are infested with thousands of Chinese junks, East Indian and Malay "proas" (native sailing canoes), "sampans" and other craft, manned by hundreds of Asiatic coolies, who ply their trade as fishermen, but who are always on the watch for any floating object that may look or smell like ambergris.
Considering the varying color, weight and consistency of ambergris, the only fairly reliable identification left for one who knows nothing about it is the smell. So, when one is at sea, or along the beaches, the source of an unusually unpleasant smell may always be considered worth investigating. It may not be ambergris, but if it is—your financial worries may be ended.
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