Fu Wan slept very soundly until the doorbell rang for a while before she slowly opened her eyes.
The sky outside the window was already slightly bright. Fu Wan took out her watch and saw that it was past four o'clock.
All told, the net had been pulled for about five hours.
She forced herself to wash her face and get off the boat, fighting off her sleepiness. That's how it is at sea; you have to wake up after a short nap. People who don't know the trade think fishermen make a lot of money fishing, but only those who do it know how hard it is.
Putting everything else aside, sleeping until dawn is out of the question, and you also have to constantly pay attention to the wind direction at sea and the fishing nets being towed behind you.
People don't sleep well under stress, otherwise Fu Wan wouldn't have let the boatmen go back and rest for a while after each voyage.
In fact, the boatmen on her boat were not very old, and most of them were young people, but Fu Wan still hoped that they would not be too tired and could rest well before coming out.
Moreover, not only do people need proper rest, but fish in the sea also need time to grow.
This is also why the authorities are implementing a fishing ban.
When Fu Wan came out of her rest cabin, she noticed that the row of rest cabins was quiet. She must have just woken up, and the others were probably already busy on the deck.
Upon going up to the deck, it was indeed true; the net bag had been pulled up for a while, and Robert and Jack were untying the ropes under Fu Ming's guidance.
Fu Wan still admired the energy of Robert and his two brothers. Whether they were fishing or hauling in their nets, these three brothers were always full of energy, as if they would never get tired.
Just then, a loud crash interrupted Fu Wan's thoughts. Looking up, she saw that the fish had fallen all over the deck.
"Ah Wan was right! We really did run into a school of yellowtail chub!"
Looking at the deck full of fish, Fu Ming couldn't help but sigh.
Ye Lin nodded, about to say something, when he looked up and saw Fu Wan coming over as well.
"Ah Wan, you've come at the right time! Come and see the fish!"
This net did indeed encounter a school of yellowtail chub; looking around, the boat was mostly filled with brightly colored yellowtail chub.
The trawling time was long, so the yellow color of the fish's body and the blue-green color of its head were not as noticeable, but the size and number of fish were still quite considerable.
"Hey guys, look at this!"
"What a beautiful strange fish!"
Tom was waving his arms and legs around holding a long, red fish, and Fu Wan couldn't help but laugh. What strange fish? It's just a pipefish!
The bright red pipefish were indeed beautiful; besides the one Tom was holding, there were several other fish that could be seen with the naked eye in the pile of fish.
Besides, there were also quite a few crabs. Fu Ming and Ye Lin picked up the fish basket and hurriedly started picking crabs out of it.
These crabs are still lively and jumping around, their pincers waving fiercely. If we don't pick them out quickly, they'll definitely pinch other fish later.
Seeing this, Fu Wan found a rake and dug up the fish mountain. She hadn't even noticed it until she dug it open, and then she discovered that there were two huge creatures underneath.
"Shit, what an ugly fish!"
Robert looked disgusted and took several steps back, frightened by the fish's ugliness.
"What do you mean it looks ugly? This fish tastes delicious!"
Fu Mancang felt uneasy listening to Robert's complaints. He wanted to eat fish but was reluctant to spend the money. Although it looked ugly, it was quite expensive.
The fish liver inside its belly is even more expensive than pork!
"tasty?"
Looking at the two large clumps of fish on the ground, Robert couldn't help but doubt Fu Mancang's words.
Can this stuff even taste good?
Could it be that they're trying to scam this foreigner?
Fu Ming ignored their conversation because he had discovered a new species under the pile of fish.
"Ah Wan, come and take a look at this fish! It's even uglier than a regular fish!"
After saying that, Fu Ming dragged the fish out. Fu Wan looked at it carefully, and after trying hard to identify it, she said, "It's not a fish. I remember this kind of fish is called... what was it called again..."
"Water blob fish, yes, it should be called water blob fish!"
After racking her brains for a long time, Fu Wan finally remembered the name of the fish.
Seeing that the blobfish's mouth was still opening and closing, Fu Wan picked it up and put it back into the sea.
This move completely baffled Fu Ming.
"Wan, why did you release that fish?"
Fu Wan watched the fish slowly disappear into the water and replied, "Why not release it? You can't eat this fish anyway."
"Oh no, you can't eat it, is it poisonous?"
Fu Wan shook her head, "There's no poison in it, but it doesn't taste very good."
The blobfish, scientifically known as *Sculpina mollusciniformis*, is also called the "big-headed fish" because of its large head.
This fish is a typical deep-sea fish, generally living in deep-sea areas at depths of 600 to 1200 meters.
These sea areas are basically dark and without any light, so the fish grow in strange shapes that don't quite fit human aesthetics.
The blobfish is actually a bit like a large tadpole in shape, with its head accounting for about two-thirds of its body. It has no swim bladder and breathes through gills.
These fish are usually only about 30 centimeters long, and they feel soft and squishy, like a lump of hydrogel.
The blobfish is actually somewhat similar to the tadpole; it also likes to lie still for a long time because it moves slowly and cannot escape. Therefore, once it is caught in a fishing net, it is difficult for it to escape.
Moreover, if it encounters a trawl net that is about to be pulled up, suddenly hauling it to the surface from hundreds of meters deep in the ocean, the blobfish will have its skin burst open due to the pressure change, making it look even more like a strangely shaped snot.
But miraculously, the fish didn't change due to the pressure, and it was even breathing. So Fu Wan hurriedly put it back into the sea, hoping it could continue to live.
Blobfish are edible but not tasty; their texture is said to be similar to rotten fatty meat.
Because they couldn't escape being caught online and had a high mortality rate when out of the water, the blobfish became nearly extinct in later generations. To be honest, this was the first time Fu Wan had encountered a blobfish in this sea area. She thought they only lived in the waters of other countries, but she didn't expect to find them here as well.
"Brother Lin, go to the headquarters and memorize the location here. We won't be using this route for trawling next time."
Making money is one thing, but Fu Wan doesn't want any sea fish to become extinct because of her trawling nets.
Ye Lin responded without hesitation, then turned and strode quickly toward the headquarters.
After listening to Fu Wan's explanation, Fu Ming and the others couldn't help but sigh as they worked.
Well, although the blobfish is ugly, it is indeed quite unlucky.
They would be quite upset if trawlers were to become extinct because of this.
Although humans are at the top of the food chain, influenced by Fu Wan, they all know that they must protect the marine environment.
As the saying goes, we can't just watch the sea fish they've seen slowly go extinct, and then disappear by their grandchildren or great-grandchildren's generation!
Fu Wan was also thinking about a question at this time. She had a good catch every time she went out to sea to fish. However, the seafood in the sea was always decreasing with each catch. If she wanted to continue to develop, could she release some fish fry into the sea to allow them to reproduce quickly?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com