Fish Air Bladder Worth Its Weight in Gold

Posted by Alex in Animal on March 5, 2008 at 5:15 pm


That ugly fish has an air bladder (swim bladder or fish maw) worth its weight in gold (because it is used in Chinese medicine.)

Meet the Chinese Bahaba fish (Bahaba flavolabiata), which hasn’t been seen in the coast of Zhejiang province for 50 years:

"It is dark brown all over, 1.2-meter long and 15-kg in weight," said the veteran fisherman Li who has already frozen the fish. "It’s my first time to see this kind of fish."

A fellow 60-year-old fisherman who came with others to Li to get a glance of the fish told him in great surprise that it is Bahaba flavolabiata (Chinese bahaba) which have disappeared from the site for at least 50 years.

Due to its extreme scarcity, the air bladder of Chinese bahaba is said to be as expensive as gold in weight. More than a decade ago, another fisherman of the same county caught a Chinese bahaba of less than 3.5 kg but fetched for more than 100,000. Therefore, fishermen on the scene urged Li to ask for at least 1 million for his.

Link – Thanks Rob!


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5 comments to "Fish Air Bladder Worth Its Weight in Gold"

  1. Jess
    March 5th, 2008 at 5:54 pm

    1 million what?

  2. NeuroGirl
    March 5th, 2008 at 6:03 pm

    Swim bladders are pretty. They have this pearlescent transparency to them similar to the connective tissue of the intestines, but without the ick factor. Does anybody know what the medicinal application of the swim bladder is supposed to be?

  3. KingEdwin
    March 5th, 2008 at 7:01 pm

    @ NeuroGirl

    Passing gas, of course.

  4. VonSkippy
    March 5th, 2008 at 11:32 pm

    Cures the raving snargles better then anything else on the planet.

  5. LisaL
    March 8th, 2008 at 3:38 am

    I'll say this first... I don't mean to sound racist. I'm half korean myself and love my heritage, but I have to rant.

    WTH is up with the Chinese thinking that every single damn thing has some kind of curative affect? And the rarer the animal, the better the medicine? WTH... seriously.
    That's all we need are more idiots going out and hunting/killing these too few and far between animals just so they can THINK they're getting medicine from whatever body part. UGH.


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