Paradip fisherman sells rare fish for Rs 1.1 lakh
By 
In the last week of March, a 34-year-old fisherman from Paradip sold a Ghol fish. The fish known for its medicinal value was sold for a whopping cost of Rs 1.1 lakh to an exporter on March 28, 2019.
Mutthi Devudu, who hails from Sandhakuda fishing village, netted the 28-kilogram Ghol fish on March 27, 2019. According to the fisherman, on March 27 night when he was pulling the net. He realized that a massive fish had been trapped. It took two men to pull the fish out of the water. Once on board, they realised that we had hauled a rare Ghol fish. The news spread like wildfire at the fishing harbour and a merchant purchased it for Rs 3,940 per kg,”.
Protonibea diacanthus is the scientific name of the Ghol or black-spotted croaker. The fish is locally called as Teleia. This fish, an exotic specimen, is considered to be one of the finest and most expensive varieties of marine fish. They are usually exported to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Japan.
It is also known as ‘the fish with a heart of gold’. “It has iodine, iron, taurine, magnesium, fluoride, to selenium. Exporters dry this fish and take out the swim bladder. Some swim bladders fetch as much as Rs 1 lakh per piece. Its skin is sometimes cooked or used to make cosmetic products and medicines. Its fins are used by pharmaceutical companies to manufacture soluble stitches and in wine purification,” said Manas Ranjan Sahoo, additional fisheries officer (marine) in Paradip.
This fish is usually found in the Indian and Pacific oceans along the coasts of the Persian Gulf countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Burma.
