Whale sharks are filter feeders with a mouth that can be up to 1.5 meters wide and has 3,000 to 4,000 teeth.
But each tooth is very small, about the size of a match head.
These numerous teeth are not used for tearing or chewing food.
Instead, they are used to filter food, using these tiny teeth to sift out microorganisms in the seawater.
Its diet includes small free-swimming animals such as plankton, krill, copepods, crabs, and squid larvae, as well as algae.
Whale sharks do not need to swim forward when foraging. They inhale seawater by opening their mouths wide, filter it out using their gill rakers, and then leave only the food.
Its mouth is like a vacuum cleaner, constantly sucking up small creatures.
The giant cocoon of herrings that was just below the surface was sucked up by it twice before finally collapsing.
As the saying goes, "A big mouth can eat from all directions," which makes a lot of sense.
In addition, whale sharks also particularly like to follow behind fishing boats, taking the opportunity to scavenge for bargains.
Because fishermen usually throw unwanted small fish and shrimp back into the sea.
Small fish and shrimp caught in fishing nets are among the whale shark's favorite foods.
When whale sharks see large schools of fish being carried away, they will naturally follow the food.
This has led whale sharks to develop the habit of tracking fishing boats.
Whale sharks are usually solitary animals and rarely congregate in groups unless they are foraging in areas with abundant food.
"Don't worry, it's a whale shark, it's very docile."
Once Feng Ye recognized it as a whale shark, he wasn't worried at all.
Whale sharks are so gentle that you'll be fine if you encounter one.
Moreover, the net wasn't big enough to completely enclose the whale shark.
"Is this a whale shark?"
Ah-chan felt much more at ease.
Only part of the fishing net hit the whale shark's head before sliding into the water.
The whale shark showed no reaction whatsoever, as if nothing had happened, and continued to swim leisurely in the sea.
Its skin is up to 15 centimeters thick.
The weight of the fishing net is so small that it's not even enough to tickle it.
Just then, a large fish suddenly darted out from the bottom of the water and, by sheer coincidence, crashed headfirst into the net, getting caught solidly.
"Holy crap, this works?"
Ah-Can's mouth was wide open; you could fit an egg in it.
Are there really fish that are so unlucky as to walk right into a trap?
"Ah-Can, what kind of fish is it?"
Feng Ye's attention was focused on the whale shark. Although he saw it, it was only a fleeting glimpse, and he didn't recognize what kind of fish had gotten into the net.
"A great white shark."
Ah-chan, on the other hand, saw it all clearly.
"Great Jaws, trash."
Shark fins are only slightly valuable; the meat has a strong urinous smell and is not tasty at all, so it is very cheap.
This is because they sell the fish with its fins on; if they sold the meat directly, no one would be willing to waste money like that.
"What should we do then? Let them go?"
“Pull it up, it’s worth at least a few dollars.”
Just as Ah-Can was busy hauling in the net, Feng Ye inadvertently noticed a boat not far to his left rear, rapidly approaching them.
He simply reminded him, "Ah Chan, a boat is coming."
Upon hearing this, Ah-Can turned around and glanced back: "Is it the same boat we saw before?"
"It's very likely that they came to check because they saw a large number of seabirds gathering here."
Feng Ye paused for a moment, then said, "I just saw it too. I was so attracted by the whale shark that I didn't look back."
That is, if it comes from behind, you generally won't pay attention.
They would have discovered it much earlier if they had come from any other direction.
The fish had already dispersed; the boat was too late.
But no one knew that, because the seabirds had not yet dispersed and continued to circle in the air.
These seabirds are so bold as to be fearless that when the fish in the sea disperse, they will occasionally swoop down to snatch fish from the Rising Sun.
Seabirds can't carry away barracudas or other larger fish; the only ones they can carry are herrings.
Feng Ye and A-Can didn't care and let them come down to peck at the food.
Ideally, they should all be eaten, so they don't have to clean up.
"I didn't pay attention behind me, so I don't know whose boat it was?"
"Wait a moment, you'll see when it gets closer."
The two exchanged a few words and then went back to doing their own thing.
Feng Ye focused on steering the boat, while A-Can busied himself casting and hauling in the nets.
With the herring gone, the predators who had come also dispersed.
After casting the net twice, Ah-Can only caught one sea wolf weighing about eight pounds when he pulled it up again.
The whale shark swam on the surface of the sea for a while, then sank to the bottom and disappeared.
After nearly an hour of commotion, the sea returned to calm.
Only the seabirds in the sky, still attracted by the herring on the Rising Sun, refused to leave.
"Ah Chan, there aren't many fish left, don't waste your energy. You come and steer the boat, take a break, I'll clean the fish on the deck."
"good."
It would have been better if Feng Ye hadn't said anything, because after he mentioned it, A-Can really felt tired, and his arms were even a little sore.
With the nets being cast and retrieved repeatedly, and each net quite heavy, it's no wonder they get tired.
As soon as the two finished exchanging words, Feng Ye stepped out of the driver's seat and saw the fishing boat to his left and behind slowing down and approaching.
It was the same boat as an old acquaintance, the Guo Changling couple whom I had just met at sea not long ago.
As they approached, they saw that the deck of the Rising Sun was covered with herring, as well as barracuda, mackerel, great white sharks, and sailfish. The couple regretted not having come sooner.
Their eyes gleamed with envy as they looked at the various fish on the Rising Sun.
Guo Changling couldn't help but ask, "Were there schools of fish here just now? I saw many seabirds gathering here."
Actually, these seabirds haven't completely dispersed yet.
"Yes, there was a school of herring, but they just dispersed not long ago."
Feng Ye didn't hide anything and told the truth.
Ah-chan, speaking from the driver's seat, said, "Last time you encountered a school of fish, and we missed it. This time it's your turn."
"What a pity... I didn't make it in time."
Guo Changling sighed.
He and his wife exchanged a glance, both seeing the regret in each other's eyes.
Seawolf is cheap, costing less than a dollar.
But these fish are generally quite large, and with so many of them, they're worth a lot of money.
And there are quite a few other fish as well.
The key issue is that there's still one trawl net that hasn't been put away, and it's sure to contain a lot of cargo.
They, as a couple, witnessed all of this firsthand.
"You just said the fish had only recently dispersed, right?"
"Yeah, it only took a few minutes to disperse."
"If we shut down now, we should still be able to get some goods."
"That's possible."
Feng Ye nodded, said no more, and turned to walk into the cabin.
By the time he came out with the basket, the two boats had already separated and were each trawling at a steady speed.
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