The fishermen of southern Taiwan have been doing well this year, and Friday saw a record-breaking tuna catch that caps more than a week of big fishing hauls.
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A group of fishermen struggle to lift a giant fish from their boat. It’s just one of 438 bluefin tuna brought in Friday morning at Donggang Harbor in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County. The colossal catch set a new record for one-day tuna catches in Taiwan, and nearly every boat has benefitted.
The fish market was so crowded on Friday that it left hardly any space to walk around. The massive haul is the largest in an ongoing tuna bonanza, marking the ninth consecutive day in which more than 100 tuna were caught.
Head of the Tung Kang Fishermen’s Association Cheng Yu-chen (鄭鈺宸) says the previous one-day record for a tuna catch was 411 fish, a number which held the top spot for almost 10 years. She adds that the price per kilogram can range from NT$110 to NT$450.
This is a relief for buyers, who were paying as much as NT$1000 per kilogram for this year’s first catch back in April. While the catch may raise questions about overfishing, fishermen and sushi lovers are likely happy to hear the news.