Earring lost at sea returned to fisherman after 23 years

Noan Schroevers, left, found the earring lost by Henk Kuiper

(Image credit: Kelly Blok/NH Media)

published 10 August 2023

A Dutch fisherman who lost his earring at sea 23 years ago has had it returned to him by a fellow fisherman. Henk Kuiper had bought the earring in 1985, and had the number of the fishing cutter he worked on engraved on it: sailors have traditionally worn gold earrings to help identify their bodies if they are lost at sea, and pay for their funerals. When his came out of his ear and fell into the North Sea, in 2000, Kuiper thought he’d never see it again, but this year, an apprentice hosing down a deck spotted it gleaming in the scuppers (a valve that allows water to drain from a boat), and tracked its owner down via social media.

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