131 Artificial Fish Nest
◎How can we improve the hatching rate of fish eggs?◎
Since the rainstorm, Lingnan County has been getting warmer day by day. In the past few days, willow branches have sprouted at the foot of the mountain, and branches and leaves on the mountain are dancing. The whole Lingnan County seems to be wrapped in a layer of green and fluffy cotton cloth, and it has suddenly become full of vitality.
There are many rivers in Dongxiang. The largest and widest one is called Maolin River. There is a wild fruit forest next to it. In late summer and early autumn, many small red fruits will be produced.
In addition, there are several shallower rivers, some of which are knee-deep and some are waist-deep. This is where Ye Yunzhao is going today.
She had come here several times before and had a plan in mind, so she led everyone straight to the south of Dongxiang.
Dongxiangli was looking at the direction she was leading, but he wasn't quite sure. Worried she might be heading in the wrong direction, he reminded her, "County Magistrate Ye, you have to go north to get to Maolin River."
Ye Yunzhao smiled and said, "Let's not go to Maolin River."
He stopped abruptly. There were plenty of fish in the Maolin River! Though they were cunning and evasive, Magistrate Ye, a master of all trades, should be able to handle it. Puzzled, he asked, "Not going to the Maolin River? Magistrate Ye, you probably don't know, but the Maolin River has the most fish in Dongxiang."
She looked back and saw the puzzled faces of the people behind her. She patiently explained, "I've been there, and the Maolin River is bottomless. There are fish, but have you ever caught any?"
Dongxiang Lizheng shook his head awkwardly.
"That's all." Ye Yunzhao thought of the Maolin River. When the weather was good, he could look inside and vaguely see water plants and pebbles floating freely at the bottom of the river. From time to time, small schools of fish swam by, but they were very fast. They would shake their tails and disappear in the water plants.
She continued, "The Maolin River is overgrown with weeds, making it difficult to retrieve fish eggs, and it's not very safe either. Why bother going there?"
The Dongxiang village head still didn't understand. To be honest, he had never figured out what "touching fish eggs" meant. He didn't dare to ask before for fear of upsetting her. But now he was about to go, so what was there to be afraid of?
Having said that, he still secretly nudged others and asked them to speak for him.
The person who answered his questions was a dark-skinned peasant woman in her early forties. Several young men at the back of the crowd called her "Sixth Aunt."
Aunt Six asked curiously, "County Magistrate Ye, what does it mean to touch fish eggs? I've never heard of it in my hometown."
After saying that, she chuckled twice, and her dark red face showed a simple smile that was impossible to refuse.
Ye Yunzhao explained in a gentle voice, "In a dozen days or so, the carp and grass carp in the river will begin to lay eggs. What we are doing today is to build a nest for them."
"Fish nest?"
Everyone became even more curious. Aunt Six was incredulous and said, "Fish have their own nests just like birds in the sky?!"
"Of course, everything in the world has its own nest," she replied.
The group of people chatted with each other and soon arrived at the river that Ye Yunzhao had chosen early.
Ye Yunzhao asked the Dongxiang village chief to direct them to form a semicircle, while she herself picked three or five willow branches with tender leaves from the willow tree by the river.
The head of Dongxiang Village had already told everyone that what they were going to learn today was more important than raising fish in rice fields. Everyone put away their relaxed attitude on the way and now each one was more serious than the other, watching Ye Yunzhao's actions with deep resentment.
When she turned around, she saw this scene. She was startled at first, then smiled and said, "Everyone, relax. Today I will only teach you a method."
Everyone nodded in unison.
Ye Yunzhao held his forehead in his heart: I don’t know what the Dongxiang village head told them, but these people should be good seedlings if they are taken to Beijing to practice marching.
She walked closer, took out a willow branch from her hand, and quickly bent the remaining branches a few times. She pinched the first branch, wrapped it around a few times, and then stuffed it into the mouth of the willow branch. It was done.
The head of Dongxiang Village immediately said, "County Magistrate Ye, it's too fast, too fast..."
Before he finished speaking, Ye Yunzhao said, "There is no fixed requirement for how to tie it up. Just do whatever works best for you."
After hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Tying willow branches is something that everyone can do.
"Fresh willow branches can be tied into bundles to make fish nests, and so can willow roots." Ye Yunzhao was talking about willow trees, but he was thinking of other things in his mind.
Logically speaking, coconut coir and palm fiber are most suitable for artificial fish nests. The fibers are loose, fine, and resistant to water blisters. Unfortunately, she carefully looked at the trees in Lingnan County and did not find a single tree species related to coconut coir, let alone coconut coir.
Rice straw is also good, but every household keeps it for weaving rice mats, so even the scraps are quite valuable for kindling. Willow branches are only a substitute. After careful consideration, she added, "Fir leaves and pine and cypress branches will also work."
Everyone nodded quickly, and Aunt Six asked, "Can branches from any tree be used?"
"No," Ye Yunzhao replied, "Branches like willow branches and pine and cypress branches are best, as they can attract fish eggs. By the way, when you pull out the willow branches, don't pinch off the leaves on them."
She nodded in agreement, but Ye Yunzhao suddenly began to take off her shoes and socks, rolling up her trouser legs to reveal her fair and sturdy calves. Everyone knew she was demonstrating how to set up a fish nest, so they didn't say much.
"Come." Ye Yunzhao motioned for them to follow him, walking along the riverbank as he spoke, "You have to choose a good spot for your fish nest. If you choose the wrong one, even the best nest won't hold any eggs."
As soon as the words fell, someone immediately asked, "County Magistrate Ye, is there something particular about this fish nest?"
"Of course." She stopped and pointed at a spot. "Look carefully. Is this area different from the one just now?"
"It seems..." Aunt Liu scratched her head, "clearer?"
Ye Yunzhao replied: "That's right, the fish nest should be placed in a clear and bright place first."
"Just clear?"
Some people in the crowd couldn't keep up with her pace. They just felt that the river in Dongxiang was very clear every day. If that was the case, then they could fish anywhere.
Ye Yunzhao had long anticipated the question and said with a smile, "There's another way. Stand in a place you think is clear and look down at the riverbed. If there are fish poking their heads out of the water here or if their mouths open and close frequently, then it's not good."
To help everyone better understand, she gave a vivid example: "Fish are actually just like us. We live in the air, and fish live in the water. Think about it, everyone. When we occasionally go into the mountains or caves, do we feel a little breathless?"
The terrain of Lingnan County is special. Ye Yunzhao had studied it privately and estimated that the altitude here is not too low, and there will always be times when the air is thin and it is difficult to breathe when climbing the mountain.
Everyone nodded hurriedly, and she continued to explain, "The same is true for fish. If a fish sticks its head out of the water, it can't breathe. Think about it, if it can't breathe, how can it have the energy to lay eggs?"
Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard this, especially the Dongxiang village headman. He had originally worried that ordinary people would not understand what County Magistrate Ye said and that they would just follow his example. He didn't expect that County Magistrate Ye already had a plan. This way, everything would go smoothly!
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He actually laughed out loud while everyone was listening attentively. When he realized it and raised his hand to cover his mouth, everyone was staring at him in confusion.
"Nothing, nothing..." He waved his hands awkwardly, feeling very unnatural.
Ye Yunzhao understood him and said with a smile, "I guess he is thinking about the harvest in the future, so he can't stop laughing, hahahaha."
As soon as she started laughing, everyone started laughing, and Dong Zhengli blushed and scratched his head.
Ye Yunzhao gave a few more instructions: "If there are fish under the water, this place is not bad."
When choosing a place to place the fish nest, the most important point is the dissolved oxygen condition of the water. If there is sufficient dissolved oxygen, it will be suitable for fish to spawn.
However, this term was too professional, so Ye Yunzhao could only improve it himself and add some made-up words, so that they could finally learn how to choose a place.
Ever since she started teaching these things, Aunt Liu's glasses have been turning left and right, constantly looking for a place that matches what Ye Yunzhao said.
She suddenly raised her hand and pointed at a spot, asking, "County Magistrate Ye, do you think a fish nest can be built here?"
Ye Yunzhao looked in the direction her arm was pointing. The small stones at the bottom of the river were clearly visible, and the occasional big fish passing by did not look up.
She quickly affirmed, "Of course! This is a great choice."
Ye Yunzhao took this opportunity to teach them how to dig fish nests.
She rolled up her sleeves and walked barefoot into the river. The early spring water was icy cold and she couldn't help shivering. She stood at the position chosen by Aunt Liu, bent down, and pressed down with the bundle of willow branches in both hands. When it touched the bottom of the river, the river sand was raised. Ye Yunzhao took the time to pick up a large stone from the bottom of the river and pressed down a corner of the bundle of willow branches tightly, and the fish nest was ready.
During this time, she reminded them of a few key points. After confirming that they understood, she waved her hand and asked everyone to build the fish nest and choose a location within a quarter of an hour. She would then check them one by one.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone scattered like birds and beasts. Except for the Dongxiang village head, there was no one else in sight.
"Why don't you try it yourself?" Ye Yunzhao teased.
He smiled and said, "Go, County Magistrate Ye, I have something...small to ask you."
Ever since Dongxiang Villager knew that rice fish were to be raised in Dongxiang, he has been very enthusiastic. Now that he is really about to touch the fish eggs, why is he not taking the initiative again?
Ye Yunzhao asked curiously, "What's the matter?"
Just as she thought, the Dongxiang village head had indeed been making some calculations in his mind. A few days ago, he made a special trip to Yuezhou City and also visited several counties outside Yuezhou City. The cheapest fish cost ten cents per catty, and the palm-sized fish fry were sold regardless of the catty, at five cents each. This was the cheapest price he had gotten after talking so hard.
Two-thirds of the land in Dongxiang is paddy fields. After talking about fish farming in rice fields, almost every family wants to do it. The number needed is not small. He doesn't know how much money he will have to spend to buy fish fry. He is always uneasy.
Therefore, he thought of asking Ye Yunzhao to see how many fish eggs he could get. It is always better to spend less money.
"County Magistrate Ye, I wonder how many fish eggs we can get..." He said embarrassedly, "Every household in Dongxiang wants to raise fish, but where can they get so much money? Alas... after all, they are all poor people."
Ye Yunzhao was unsure when this came up. Dongxiang had a large population of grass carp and carp. Although these two fish had many spines, they produced a high number of eggs, even their first spawning could yield over 200,000. If the fish had lived long enough to mature, this number would quadruple.
If this is true, she has nothing to worry about. The most important thing is that not all eggs can hatch into fry. The hatching rate of fish eggs naturally hatching in the river is as low as 0.5%, and the highest is no more than 5%. Although artificial hatching can increase the hatching rate.
but--
Ye Yunzhao looked up at the surroundings and cried in his heart: There is no heater here, and there is no oxygen generator here. How can I increase the hatching rate of fish eggs?
【Author’s words】
Xiaoye Science Popularization: In fact, grass carp and carp lay 300,000 to 120,000 eggs each time, and the artificial hatching rate can be as high as 70% [Milk Tea]
Please take a look at my pre-collection ↓ If you are interested, please click to collect it [hahaha]
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