Contraband
In most countries, the trade of ambergris has been outlawed. This includes the United States. In America, the illegality of trading ambergris forms just one part on a wider ban on hunting and exploiting whales. Luckily for Steven, in the UK, ambergris is considered to be a waste product. So how much was it worth?
Floating Gold
The Whittens were shocked to find out that another lump of ambergris was found on the beach by a man in Morecambe. That wasn’t far from where Steven and Viola found their own. That piece ended up selling for a staggering $155,000! How much would the Whittens get for their piece of “floating gold”?
Loads Of Cash
The piece of ambergris that was found in Morecambe weighed about 6 pounds. Meaning that it was twice the size of the Whittens’ piece. All the same, that meant that their ambergris could sell for around $65,000! That’s an incredible amount of money for a piece of whale by-product if we do say so ourselves. So, what did the Whittens do with their discovery?
Following Their Dreams
Would the couple choose to settle their debt or pay off their mortgage? Maybe they would go into early retirement? In a perfect example of “British restraint”, Steven told the Daily Mirror, “If it is worth a lot of money, it will go a long way towards buying us a static caravan. It would be a dream come true.”
