Kerapu Pulau 9, Perak

Whopper of a grouper bought for RM10,000

IPOH: A group of friends will be having a memorable Chinese New Year reunion dinner, thanks to a 180kg grouper.

The fish was caught off the waters near Pulau Sembilan in the Straits of Malacca on Tuesday.

Heng Soon Hau, who bought the fish for around RM10,000 after a bid, said he bought the grouper (known as loong pan in Cantonese or dragon grouper) for his friends in Kuala Lumpur.

“My friends are in the seafood business in Kuala Lumpur and they are going to have the fish for their reunion dinner,” he said yesterday.

Giant catch: Heng posing with the huge grouper after buying it at a bid in Hutan Melintang yesterday
Explaining that he had bought the fish at a good price, the 40-year-old Heng said: “This is something which money cannot buy. You can never get another fish like this even if it costs RM20,000.

“It is a good price to pay for such a fish, especially now when it is close to Chinese New Year.”

Heng, who is also from Hutan Melintang, said the price of fish would normally go up during the Chinese New Year period because many families would want to have fish for their reunion dinner.

“The fish will normally cost 30% more during the Chinese New Year period. It is a sign of prosperity to be able to eat such a good and expensive fish,” he said.

The fish captured the attention of many people, who bid for it when the fishermen docked at Hutan Melintang.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/17/nation/20035627&sec=nation