Norwegian Fisherman Makes $3,200 from Eight-foot Halibut
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.17.12
An 82-year-old Norwegian fisherman really struck gold when he wrestled out an eight-foot long, 331-pound halibut out of the Norwegian Sea last week, even though it wasn’t a record. The fisherman, Hans Olsen, sold his catch to a British fishmonger in Manchester, England for £2,000 ($3,234 USD).
The Briton, Anthony Griffin, who runs Direct Fisheries, hopes to sell the fish to restaurants in the area for a total of £4,000 once it is filleted. By the time the restaurants sell the prepared meals to customers, the fish’s total value is estimated to be as high as £15,000.
“I’ve been working on this market for 23 years, since I was 13, and this is certainly the largest halibut I have ever seen by quite some way,” Griffin, 35, told Manchester Evening News.
Olsen had only intended on catching himself a coley fish for his tea when he set out to sea from his small village town Vannvåg in the arctic of Norway. He was surely surprised himself by his catch and the price it yielded at market.
The fish was eventually served at restaurants throughout Manchester. The largest recorded Atlantic halibut was also caught in Norway’s waters. In 2004, Thomas Nielsen caught a 418-pound, 13-ounce halibut at Vannaya Troms, according to the International Game Fish Association’s records.
