Participants attend the fish auction at Chagan Lake, Northeast China's Jilin province, on Dec 28, 2015. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

The first fish caught at the start of winter fishing season in frozen Chagan lake fetched record-breaking 788,888 yuan ($121,646) in Northeast China's Jilin province on Monday.

The price for the 14.5kg catch was much higher compared to the 369,999 yuan paid for the highest priced fish in 2014.

The annual winter fishing, which kicked off in one of China's 10 freshwater lakes with 100,000 participants on Monday, is a traditional event dating back to the Liao Dynasty (907-1125).

Fishermen cut the holes in ice and spread the fishing net at the snow-covered Chagan lake, Northeast China's Jilin province, on Dec 27, 2015. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Instead of modern fishing methods, the Chagan Lake winter fishing continues to use traditional methods such as cutting holes in the ice and using manpower to place the net instead of machines to protect the lake water from being contaminated by modern machines.

Before the start of the season, a ceremony is held where fishermen pay tribute to the nature by holding traditional dances and other activities

A fishing net can cover an area of around 8 square km with an average weight of fish reaching 70,000 kilograms, according to Hu Dayong, a local fisherman.

Dancers in costumes at the ceremony during the winter fishing at Chagan lake, Northeast China's Jilin province, on Dec 28, 2015. [Photo /Chinanews.com]

To maintain sustainable development, fishermen in Chagan lake in recent years decide to limit the overall weight of fish within two million kilograms.

The winter fishing at Chagan lake has been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. "We will pass the winter fishing tradition to the future generations and tell them not to drain the lake to get all the fish," said Hu.