A 216kg black skipjack tuna was brought into port yesterday, earning the title of this season’s “first Suao tuna” — a longstanding tradition that marks the start of Taiwan’s tuna fishing season.
The honor is awarded to the first vessel to return to port with a live longline-caught tuna weighing at least 180kg, the Suao Township (蘇澳) Fishermen’s Association in Yilan County said.
This year’s title went to the Suao-registered No. 168 Chuan Chang Lung, which docked at Nanfangao Fishing Port (南方澳漁港) with its 216kg catch.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
Captain Lin Yi-chun (林宜俊), 49, said he set out on Wednesday last week and landed the tuna at about 7:30am on Sunday in the overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) claimed by Taiwan and Japan.
Unlike in 2020, when he unexpectedly landed the season’s first tuna using live milkfish as bait, this year Lin set out specifically targeting tuna, using squid and mackerel to lure the catch.
While the association has yet to announce the auction date for Lin’s catch, last year’s first Suao tuna sold for NT$13,100 (US$396.31) per kilogram.
Aside from any profit, a portion of the sale would go toward covering salaries and health and labor insurance for Lin’s five Indonesian crew members, which amount to more than NT$300,000 per month, he said.
Also yesterday, the fishermen’s association in Pingtung County’s Donggang Township (東港) announced that the season’s first tuna has landed in the county, marking the official start of the local fishing season there as well.
The black skipjack tuna, which has yet to be officially weighed, but “appears to be about 210kg,” would be auctioned on Friday, it said.
Chen Jui-hao (陳睿豪), the ship’s captain, said he caught the fish on Saturday — his 32nd birthday — calling the giant catch “the perfect gift.”
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
RSS