CHINA:THREE HONG Kong anglers thought they had hit the big time when they sold their rare giant fish for HK$20,000 (€1,650), but they missed out on a HK$1 million (€82,000) bonanza from a mainland Chinese restaurant.
The 85kg (187lb) Chinese bahaba, also known as a giant yellow croaker, is believed to be the largest of the species caught in Hong Kong in 10 years.
After a 90-minute struggle, the three anglers reeled in the 1.68m (5½ft-long) fish which they then sold to a local fisherman for what they thought was a small fortune.
He, however, sold it on to a seafood restaurant for HK$580,000.
In classic Hong Kong style, the market continued to rise and the restaurant sold the fish on in turn to a mainland buyer for more than HK$1 million, it was reported.
The fish tanks of Hong Kong's restaurants are filled with exotic species, gathered from around Asia, Australia and the Pacific.
Restaurateurs are prepared to pay big money for increasingly rare fish such as groupers, snappers and the croaker, which the World Wildlife Foundation says is endangered from overfishing.
Last month a fisherman in Zhejiang province netted a Chinese bahaba in an area where it had not been seen for 50 years.
So rare is the species that a marine biologist was summoned to confirm that it was indeed the bahaba flavolabiata that had been caught.
The air bladder or fish maw of the croaker is highly prized. The restaurant which bought the Zhejiang fisherman's croaker dried out the maw and put a "not for sale" sign on it.
