Fishermen Net A Fortune From Rare Fish In Odisha’s Balasore

Balasore: Some fishermen of Odisha’s Balasore district had a turn of fortune as they netted a rare fish that sold for a whopping Rs 35 lakh.

According to sources, the fishermen of Mohana under Jaleswar block of the district had gone for fishing to the mouth of Bay of Bengal off Digha coast on Odisha-West Bengal border. On Sunday, when they pulled their nets, they found 28 rare Telia Bhola fish in the catch.

They took the fish each weighing 8-10 kg for sale in the local market. During auction, the fish was sold to the highest bidder at the rate of Rs 14,000 per kg. A Kolkata-based pharmaceutical company bought the entire lot at Rs 35 lakh.

It may be noted that the body parts of Telia Bhola fish have high demand in the international market for their medicinal value. Its maw, which has high collagen content, is used for preparing drugs for treatment of incurable diseases.

Fish maw is dried swim bladders of the large species of the fish in its stomach.