Pingtung: The first bluefin tuna of the season brought to shore in Pingtung County, weighing 190 kilograms, was auctioned on Wednesday for NT$10,600 (US$333.6) per kilogram, setting a record high in the local market.

According to Focus Taiwan, the auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Liouciou-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the "Pingtung First Tuna" it had caught for bidding. The bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram-NT$300 higher than last year-for a total of NT$2.014 million.

The 67-year-old skipper of Fu Yu Ching No. 2, Hung Fu-chia, told CNA that this was the first time he caught the season's first bluefin tuna since he started his fishing career at the age of 14. Hung mentioned that he had not originally planned to catch a bluefin tuna but "accidentally got one," adding that his line had been set for marlin.

Hung described the process as very tense, taking half an hour to reel the tuna in, with the hooks normally used to catch marlin bending out of shape, almost letting it escape. He considered catching the tuna a stroke of good luck.

For a tuna to be considered the first catch of the season, the fishing boat must be legally registered in Taiwan and be the first to return to a local port with a bluefin weighing at least 175 kilograms, according to the Donggang Fishermen's Association.