High grade Ghol fish caught off Mumbai coast fetches astounding Rs 5.5 lakh

The fish was caught by Mahesh Meher and his brother Bharat while they were returning from their usual catch to the Murbe coast.

Mumbai, Aug 7: Apart from being delicacy, a Ghol Fish is said to have medicinal properties and is an important ingredient in making a variety of medicines. Two fishermen from Palaghar in Maharashtra struck gold on Sunday when they caught a high grade Ghol fish which weighed around 30 kgs, reported TOI.

Ghol fish has a big market in Singapore and Malaysia. This fish is considered amongst the most-expensive variety of the marine fish.

The fish was caught by Mahesh Meher and his brother Bharat while they were returning from their usual catch to the Murbe coast.

Catching Ghol fish is considered as a lottery and almost fisherman ventures into the sea wishing that he would catch one. But, Ghol fishes are rare and its not everyday that fishermen come across it. Usually one ghol fish weighs between 15-20 kilograms, and Meher brothers struck a real jackpot by catching one that weighed 30 kgs.

It is said that even a low grade Ghol fish fetches around Rs 800-1,000 a kg. The highest grade fish, such as the one caught on Sunday, is so much in demand that an auction is held to sell it.

Even before Meher brothers reached the cost, traders and exporters were ready to buy the fish and were quoting high prices. Finally, an auction was held which ended when a bidder quoted Rs 5.5 lakh.

In 2012, a fisherman from Gujarat caught nearly 380 Ghol fish from the Jhakhau creek in mid-sea. The catch fetshed him over Rs 80 lakh.

What is ghol fish?

Protonibea diacanthus, commonly known as the blackspotted croaker, is a species of fish native to the Indo-Pacific region. This fish is considered amongst the most-expensive variety of the marine fish. Its heart is known as the 'Sea Gold', which is said to have medicinal properties and is an important ingredient in making a variety of medicines.

Its fins are used by pharmaceutical companies to manufacture dissolvable stitches. The fins are also used in wine purification and are exported to countries like Singapore. Ghol reportedly sells in the market for nearly Rs 450-600 per kilogram.