PINGTUNG (TVBS News) — A Taiwanese fisherman surnamed Su experienced the catch of a lifetime off the coast of Liuqiu, a coral island in the Taiwan Strait. Rather than the Spanish mackerel he was targeting, Su reeled in a 102-kilogram giant grouper.
On returning to port, the gargantuan fish quickly became the center of attention, selling for NT＄50,000 at the Huaqiao Fish Market, earning Su a sizable windfall.
Tseng Yu-tsung, an official with the Liouciou Fishermen's Association, noted local fishers typically use largehead hairtail or Japanese jack mackerel as bait tied to hooks, then submerge in specific depths to attract Spanish mackerels. While mangrove red snapper and groupers may also bite, encountering a giant grouper of this size is extremely rare and akin to winning the jackpot, he said.
According to Tseng, Pingtung County is known as a hub for cultivating giant groupers. Nonetheless, wild giant groupers, particularly those weighing more than 100 kilograms, are extremely scarce in the sea.