2/21/2006: Shoe shore

[Karenv]

Isn't it the law of the sea that anything that washes up is fair game?

[Pie]

Originally Posted by Karenv

Isn't it the law of the sea that anything that washes up is fair game?

Not always true. See Wikipedia's article on Ambergris:

In the United States, possession of any part of an endangered species — including ambergris that has washed ashore — is a violation of the Endangered Species Act of 1978.

There's probably other exceptions -- I just happened to remember this one.

[richlevy]

Ambergris is found in lumps of various shapes and sizes, weighing from ½ oz (14 g) to 100 or more pounds (45 or more kg).

Depending on its quality, raw ambergris fetches approximately USD$20 per gram. In the United States, possession of any part of an endangered species — including ambergris that has washed ashore — is a violation of the Endangered Species Act of 1978.

So if a 1KG lump of Ambergris washes ashore, who gets to keep the $20,000?

[CharlieG]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

I think that would be jetsam of which you speak. Flotsam being the same stuff which has yet to make it to shore. jetsam<––jetson<––jettison.

It's JETSOM if you THROW it overboard (jettison it), but I'm not sure what it's called if it falls

[xoxoxoBruce]

Oopsie.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by CharlieG

It's JETSOM if you THROW it overboard (jettison it), but I'm not sure what it's called if it falls

You're right. If it falls, I guess you can call it an insurance claim