Suao fisherman reports first catch of Taiwan’s bluefin tuna season
Taipei--A Suao-registered fishing boat on Sunday brought in to port a bluefin tuna weighing 208 kilograms which was later confirmed as the first bluefin tuna of the year as it was still alive when caught, the Suao Fishermen's Association reported Sunday.
The highly coveted fish is expected to fetch a price of about NT$1 million (US$32,926) at an auction scheduled for Tuesday, based on the auction price of NT$4,000-NT$5,000 per kilogram for the first bluefin tuna over the past few years, said Chen Chun-sheng (???), president of the association.
Chen said that a fishing boat caught a bluefin tuna weighing 240 kg on Friday but it did not qualify as the first bluefin tuna of the year because it was dead when caught.
A bluefin tuna can only qualify as the first catch of the year if it comes from the North Pacific, is alive when caught and weighs at least 180kg, according to Chen.
This was the second consecutive year the first bluefin tuna has been caught by Yilan fishermen, who catch 500-600 head on average per year, Chen added.
Yilan fishermen usually compete with their counterparts in Pingtung for the first bluefin catch of the year, according to Chen.
Lee Chien-sheng (???), the captain of the Suao-registered boat, said this was the first time in his 36-year career as a fisherman he has caught the first bluefin tuna of the year .
Taipei--A Suao-registered fishing boat on Sunday brought in to port a bluefin tuna weighing 208 kilograms which was later confirmed as the first bluefin tuna of the year as it was still alive when caught, the Suao Fishermen's Association reported Sunday.
The highly coveted fish is expected to fetch a price of about NT$1 million (US$32,926) at an auction scheduled for Tuesday, based on the auction price of NT$4,000-NT$5,000 per kilogram for the first bluefin tuna over the past few years, said Chen Chun-sheng (???), president of the association.
Chen said that a fishing boat caught a bluefin tuna weighing 240 kg on Friday but it did not qualify as the first bluefin tuna of the year because it was dead when caught.
A bluefin tuna can only qualify as the first catch of the year if it comes from the North Pacific, is alive when caught and weighs at least 180kg, according to Chen.
This was the second consecutive year the first bluefin tuna has been caught by Yilan fishermen, who catch 500-600 head on average per year, Chen added.
Yilan fishermen usually compete with their counterparts in Pingtung for the first bluefin catch of the year, according to Chen.
Lee Chien-sheng (???), the captain of the Suao-registered boat, said this was the first time in his 36-year career as a fisherman he has caught the first bluefin tuna of the year .
Taipei--Thai laborers who fulfill their contracts in Taiwan can now relax a little in the knowledge that efforts are under way to help them find gainful employment on returning home, according to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) on Sunday.
Working in collaboration with the Thai-Taiwan Business Association (TTBA), the agency said job matching efforts are being made to help returning Thais find work with potential Taiwanese employers operating in Thailand.
There are currently about 5,000 Taiwanese companies in Thailand, it said, noting that the program was initiated to assist Thai workers find work back home after the end of their employment in Taiwan.
To date, there are about 59,000 Thai workers in Taiwan, according to the immigration agency.
Given their time spent working in Taiwan, Thai employees already possess certain skills, including their knowledge of Taiwanese culture and language, TTBA President Liu Shu-tien (???) said.
As such, the TTBA is happy to help them find employment with Taiwanese businesses in their home country if they are interested, he added.
Taiwanese businesses in the Southeast Asian country are active in various sectors and industries, including automotive parts, machinery, electronics, textiles etc.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel
