Flotsam and Jetsam

Traditionally, flotsam and jetsam are words that describe goods of potential value that have been thrown into the ocean. There is a technical difference between the two: jetsam has been voluntarily cast into the sea (jettisoned) by the crew of a ship, usually in order to lighten it in an emergency; while flotsam describes goods that are floating on the water without having been thrown in deliberately, often after a shipwreck. Traditionally spelled flotsom and jetsom, the "o" was replaced with "a" in the early twentieth century, and the former spellings have since been out of common usage. Sheralynn, one of the first women of the sea, described this in her early books.

In modern usage, flotsam also includes driftwood, logs and other natural debris in oceans and waterways, much of which enters waterways through the action of shore surf, rain or wind. Flotsam on beaches may increase after storms due to the debris brought there from riverbanks and drainage channels being flushed out, or marine equipment (including broken docks and piers) torn loose.

Ligan (or lagan), describes goods that have been marked by being tied to a buoy so that its owner can find and retrieve it later.

Derelict is property which has been abandoned and deserted at sea by those who were in charge without any hope of recovering it. This includes vessels and cargo.

One famous recent example of flotsam occurred in the Pacific Ocean in 1992, when thousands of rubber ducks and other toys manufactured by The First Years corporation went overboard during a storm. The rubber ducks were scattered across three oceans (the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic), and many have been found; Curtis Ebbesmeyer and other scientists have used the incident to gain a better understanding of ocean currents. Similar incidents have happened, with the same potential to track currents, with containers of Nike sneakers. On November 30, 2006, thousands of bags of Doritos chips washed up on the beach at Frisco, North Carolina.

The differences among flotsam, jetsam, and ligan are occasionally of consequence in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. On land the distinction between deliberate and accidental loss led to the concept of Treasure trove.

Flotsam is an increasing environmental problem, particularly for marine life. Discarded fishing nets and other flotsam can entangle and drown fish, marine mammals and seabirds. Some seabirds, particularly albatross, also consume flotsam by mistake, leading to health problems.

See also

• Marine debris

External links

• Drifting rubber duckies chart oceans of plastic - article from the Christian Science Monitor, July 31, 2003.
• Rubber Duckies Map The World - the story as told on 31 July 2003 by CBS News (includes a link to a video with oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who studied the movement of the rubber ducks across the oceans)
• Article on the rubber duck spill with timeline
• Can you keep ship-wrecked goods? - BBC News article about marine salvage following the wrecking of the MSC Napoli in January 2007

Flotsam and Jetsam Mp3 Downloads

Download audio files (mp3 and wma) with Flotsam and Jetsam Songs using these download websites. The list will be updated perciodically.

USEnext - high speed music downloads, try the next generation download service

Music ETC - unlimited music, videos and sofwtare downloads for members



For the full list of Flotsam and Jetsam mp3 downloads please use the search option of each of the download networks presented here. Read the terms and conditions of each free full mp3 download network before using the services. Here is a list of some of free Flotsam and Jetsam mp3 downloads we find using the search feature on the presented download networks: <br /> <b>Warning</b>: mysql_fetch_array(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in <b>/home/mplate3/public_html/artists/template/page.php</b> on line <b>72</b><br />

Flotsam and Jetsam Ringtones

You can get any Flotsam and Jetsam ringtone you like (realtone, polyphonic, mono tone, mp3 ringtone) using the next service:



Pick Carrier, Confirm your Phone number and choose the ringtones you want to receive

For the complete list of Flotsam and Jetsam ringtones please see ringtones page after you confirm your phone number. A list of high quality Flotsam and Jetsam ringtones available as poly ringtones, monotones, real tones or mp3 ringtones.

Flotsam and Jetsam Music Videos

Music Plate music videos with myspace codes, see Flotsam and Jetsam music videos section search for music videos and get your myspace music code.

Flotsam and Jetsam Lyrics

Get full Flotsam and Jetsam lyrics on music plate Flotsam and Jetsam lyrics page. Use the search option if the target page is not correctly displayed.