A 1m Large Flatfish Caught in Hwaseong
"Thought to Be a Spirit Fish, Released" Draws Attention
A flatfish measuring 1m 8cm was caught in the waters near Jeongok Port in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province. The angler said this flatfish was the largest among the fish he caught but released it back into the water, considering it a 'sacred fish.'
On the 30th, Yonhap News reported the story of angler Yoon Seok-tae (38), who went flatfish fishing with friends at Jeongok Port on the weekend of the 25th. Having been fishing for flatfish for about three years, he explained, "While fishing, suddenly the fishing rod snapped up sharply, and I felt a strong pull underwater. At some point, I realized, 'This is not an ordinary-sized flatfish.'"
Yoon said, "It took about 15 minutes to reel in the flatfish," but added, "I thought it was a sacred fish, so I released it." He shared, "Usually, I would catch a fish of a decent size to eat with friends, but this flatfish seemed to be a sacred fish. Last year, I caught a 77cm flatfish, which was my record, so I’m happy to have set a lifetime record."
The flatfish belongs to the family Pleuronectidae of the order Pleuronectiformes and generally measures 40?60cm in length and weighs 1?3kg. Cases where the body length reaches up to 1m, like in this story, are very rare. However, earlier on March 9, a 1.18m flatfish was caught in Jumunjin, Gangneung, and on March 12, a flatfish about 1m long was caught in Seogwipo City, Jeju, with these stories being reported consecutively.
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