First tuna catch of the season recorded in Yilan's Su'ao Township

Taipei, April 7 (CNA) A black skipjack tuna weighing 216 kilograms was brought into port Monday and proclaimed the "first Su'ao tuna" of the season, a tradition that heralds the start of the fishing season in Taiwan for the migratory fish.

The winner of the first catch is the first boat to return to port with a tuna caught live on a longline and weighing at least 180 kilograms, according to the fishermen's association in Su'ao, which is located in Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan.

This year's honor went to the Su'ao-registered No. 168 Chuan Chang Lung, which returned to Nanfang'ao port with its 216-kg catch early Thursday, the association said.

The boat's captain, 49-year-old Lin Yi-chun (林宜俊), said he went out to sea last Wednesday and caught the fish at around 7:30 a.m. Sunday, in the overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZ) claimed by Taiwan and Japan.

As opposed to 2020, when he caught the season's first tuna unexpectedly using live milkfish as bait, this year he went out fishing for tuna, using squid and mackerel as bait, Lin said.

"I feel like I just hit the jackpot on a slot machine," Lin said of his lucky catch.

The fishermen's association did not say when Lin's fish would be auctioned, but last year's "first Su'ao tuna" sold for NT$13,100 (US$395.9) per kilogram.

Lin said he would be happy if his tuna sold for NT$100 more than that, though NT$15,000 per kg -- or NT$3.24 million for the whole fish -- would be "even better."

Aside from profits from the sale, some of the money will go toward the salaries and health and labor insurance premiums of his five Indonesian crew members, which add up to more than NT$300,000 per month, Lin said.

First tuna in Pingtung

Also on Monday, the fishermen's association in Donggang Township announced the first tuna of the season in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan.

The black skipjack tuna, which has yet to be officially weighed but "appears to be around 210 kg," will be auctioned off on Friday, the association said.

Chen Jui-hao (陳睿豪), the ship's captain, told reporters that he caught the fish on Saturday, his 32nd birthday, making the giant tuna "the perfect gift."