Because it has salt in it, right?

[That thought alone is still mind-boggling. A huge body of water filled with salt? Salt is such a rare commodity on their world that Jean and his friends can't help indulging in it heavily here, where it's both available and cheap.]

You can probably get the salt out of the water, right? And then use it for cooking or preserving meat if you wanted to? Salt is really valuable where I'm from.