TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A rare albino giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) spotted in a fish market in Penghu County on Monday (Feb. 13) sold for NT$7,000 (US$231).
A fishmonger at the Magong Fish Market bought a batch of fish from a longline fishing boat, reported CNA. Most of the catch purchased consisted of narrow-barred Spanish mackerel and grouper.
However, what caught her eye was a rare albino giant grouper with the hook from the longline still in its mouth. The fishmonger told the news agency that although she has been selling fish for decades, this was the first time she had seen an albino of that species.
She said that once she put it up for sale, it immediately attracted everyone's attention in the fish market. She described it as having a snow-white body and weighing 14 kg.
Ultimately, she said that a seafood connoisseur bought the fish for a price of NT$500 per kilogram, which amounted to NT$7,000 in total. The customer reportedly looked forward to feasting on the fish as a "special treat."
Hsieh Heng-i (謝恆毅), the director of the Penghu Marine Biology Research Center, told the news agency that giant groupers generally have black and brown spots, but the white one caught by fishermen is still edible.
Hsieh said that albino giant groupers are quite rare, and it may be caused by a genetic mutation or the environment. Generally speaking, Hsieh said that there would only be one such albino out of hundreds of thousands of fish from a given species.
He said that the cause of albinism in fish is not yet fully understood and more research is needed.
(CNA photo)
