The duo said they had set out for fishing last week after a long break due to the 45-day ban on venturing in the waters during the monsoon season. (Representational Image)

It was a catch worth lakhs of rupees! Two fishermen brothers in Maharashtra’s Palghar district netted a ‘ghol’ fish — known for its medicinal value and in high demand in various countries — and sold it for a whopping Rs 5.5 lakh in a mega auction.

Mahesh Meher and Bharat Meher, natives of Morbe village in Palghar, set out for fishing in the Arabian Sea last week and returned on Sunday late night with a huge 30 kg ghol fish. While the siblings were startled to have netted a giant-size fish, they did not realise then that they were going to make a fortune out of their prized catch.

The brothers, elated over their precious possession, said after they brought the fish ashore, it got auctioned in just 20 minutes yesterday. An export house bought it for Rs 5.5 lakh, they claimed. The duo said they had set out for fishing last week after a long break due to the 45-day ban on venturing in the waters during the monsoon season.

“This was really a good catch. We were delighted as it was like striking ‘gold’ in our fishing net along with other fish varieties,” the siblings told reporters at the sea shore in Morbe yesterday. “We are into fishing since the last two decades and had only heard about such a huge ghol fish. But, with this fish catch, we actually had a wonderful experience and it also got sold for a good price,” they said.

Usually, a good quality fish sells for a few thousands of rupees in the market, but the Meher brothers are happy to have earned Rs 5.5 lakh with a single catch. The two fishermen, who were reeling under financial crisis, said now they would be able get their boat and net repaired.

The ghol fish, a type of croaker, has a good market in countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is considered among the most-expensive variety of the marine fish. Its heart is known as the ‘sea gold’, which is said to have medicinal properties and is an important ingredient in making a variety of medicines.