By Selling Rare Fish, Pakistani Fisherman Becomes Millionaire Overnight

A fisherman from Karachi in Pakistan has become a millionaire overnight as he auctioned off a collection of rare fish renowned for its medicinal properties, PTI reported.

Haji Baloch, residing in the impoverished Ibrahim Hyderi fishing village, and his team captured these fish, locally referred to as the golden fish or "Sowa" from the Arabian Sea on Monday.

"The entire catch was sold for some 70 million rupees at the Karachi harbour on Friday morning when fishermen auctioned off their catch," the news agency quoted Mubarak Khan of the Pakistan Fishermen Folk Forum as saying.

The Sowa fish is regarded as invaluable and scarce due to the reputed healing and medicinal properties of substances found in its belly. Also, a thread-like substance extracted from the fish is utilized in surgical procedures.

"One fish fetches around 7 million rupees in the auction," Baloch said.

Weighing typically between 20 to 40 kilograms and capable of reaching lengths up to 1.5 meters, this fish is highly coveted in East Asian nations. Furthermore, the Sowa fish carries cultural and traditional importance, being utilized in traditional medicines and local culinary practices.

"We were fishing in the open sea of Karachi...when we came across this huge cache of golden fish, and it was a windfall for us," he added.

Haji said he would share the money with his crew of seven people. The fish comes near the coast only during breeding season.

It may be recalled a fisherman in Jiwani area of of Gwadar became a rich overnight when he captured a 48-kilogram Sowa fish, selling it for 8.64 million Pakistani rupees in an auction, as reported by Geo News.