A 'giant animal' boasting a monstrous size appeared in Samcheok, Gangwon-do.
Swordfish, which are distributed in warm and tropical waters, including Jeju Island and the South Sea, are caught off the coast of Samcheok in Gangwon and are a hot topic of conversation. It is a fish species that is hard to see on the east coast.
On the 10th, Samcheok City Councilor Jeong Yeon-cheol revealed on his Facebook page a picture of a swordfish caught on a political network fishing boat off the coast of Jeongrajin in Samcheok, drawing the attention of netizens.
According to Yonhap News reports, the swordfish caught in the early morning of this day was huge, 3 meters long and 226 kg in weight. It is reported that the swordfish caught this time was sold for 60,000 won.
On this day, around 200 kg bluefin tuna (tuna) was caught along with swordfish off the coast of Jeonglajin.
Councilman Jeong Yeon-cheol, who shared the news of the swordfish that appeared off the coast of Samcheok, said, “I went out to the port every morning to check the catch and hear the difficulties of the fishermen, and I was surprised that swordfish were caught this morning,” and “I asked people about whether it was due to global warming, and they said that 1 to 2 swordfish are caught a year.”
Swordfish are a tropical and subtropical fish species. It is widely distributed in tropical and temperate regions such as the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean, and is distributed domestically in the South Sea and Jeju Island. Recently, a scene of actor Ryu Su-yeong, who appeared on an entertainment program by a broadcaster, fishing for swordfish in the Caribbean was broadcast and became a hot topic.
Swordfish are large marine animals belonging to the horse mackerel swordfish department, and the frequency of sightings in Korean seas is gradually increasing.
Swordfish grow from an average length of 3 meters to a maximum of 4.55 meters and weigh up to 650 kg. The characteristic long snout is flat and powerful like a knife, and is used to stab or cut prey.
The body of a swordfish is streamlined, grey-blue-brown, scaly, and has large eyes. Swordfish are famous for their fast swimming speed and reach 97 kilometers per hour, making them the second fastest fish after sailfish.
In Korea, they mainly appear around the South Sea and Jeju Island, and are rarely found in the East Sea due to recent global warming. They mainly prey on swarms of fish such as squid, mackerel, and sardines, and stay deep in the ocean during the day and rise to the surface at night.
Due to their ferocious nature, swordfish can pose a risk to anglers and fishermen, and cases of actual being stabbed in the snout and injured or killed have also been reported. Swordfish are popular targets for sport fishing.
Swordfish meat is popular as sashimi in Korea due to its firm skin and chewy texture. In Japan, they are less preferred as sushi or sashimi because of their firm texture, and are usually eaten grilled.
Swordfish were once endangered due to overfishing, but now their numbers have recovered. The emergence of swordfish in Korean seas is closely related to changes in marine ecosystems, which reflect the effects of climate change and the marine environment.