The two then approached the sailfish and examined the wound on its back.
There wasn't just one wound, but three or four, evenly distributed, like the work of a knife.
Moreover, it is very obvious that the wound is very fresh.
Seeing this, the two were even more certain that the wound was caused by the propeller.
"That big guy is really unlucky; we've gotten a good deal this time."
Ah-Can clicked his tongue as he spoke, patting the sailfish.
"Alright, forget about it, let's quickly bring the net up and take a look."
Feng Ye couldn't help but smile.
Who wouldn't like a windfall, even if the process was a bit thrilling?
Let it bleed to one side, and the two turned around to collect the net.
With this marlin as a precedent, the two men were no longer concerned about even a poor trawl catch.
But to their surprise, they received a small but delightful surprise.
"Holy crap, there's a lot of fish! Have we stumbled upon a school of fish?"
Ah-Can's eyes lit up instantly, his face filled with excitement.
"Pull it up and you'll see."
As the net was slowly lifted out of the water by the crane, various fish could be seen thrashing about inside the net through the mesh.
The silvery-white fish scales shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, like pieces of shattered silver leaping about.
Sure enough, this haul yielded quite a lot.
No longer as empty as the last net, but a big bag full of goods.
Although it wouldn't burst like it did on Haizhongzhou Island, this net still weighs an estimated 300 jin (150 kg).
It's quite remarkable that such a large quantity of cargo could be hauled in such close waters.
When they lay down on the deck and saw the type of fish, the two were overjoyed.
Although what we caught in the net wasn't anything valuable, we did encounter a school of fish.
A large portion of them were filefish.
This fish is worthless, very cheap.
However, compared to the price per unit in Haizhongzhou, theirs is a little more expensive, but only slightly, selling for 55 cents per pound.
These days, it's not just filefish; many kinds of fish are similarly disliked and considered unworthy of serious consumption.
They will have to wait another twenty or thirty years, until fishery resources are depleted, before they have a chance to turn things around.
But Feng Ye and his group don't sell fresh goods. After drying them, their value increases significantly, allowing them to earn much more.
"Brother Ye, do you think it's possible that the sailfish accidentally bumped into the propeller while hunting filefish?"
As Ah-Can tidied the fishing nets, he looked at the filefish on the deck and asked thoughtfully.
After hearing this, Feng Ye nodded slightly, feeling that A-Can's speculation was not without merit.
"Very likely. This sailfish was probably starving and crawled under the boat while hunting, which is why it was hit by the propeller and then went berserk and attacked us."
"I think so too."
"Later, we'll lower the net and keep circling around this area. Filefish may be cheap, but if we encounter a school of fish, the quantity will be plentiful. It's good to catch a lot to dry back home."
Filefish always live in groups.
Large carnivorous fish are their natural enemies.
However, the eyesight of the filefish is relatively low, and it can only see up to about 12 meters.
By the time they spot their predators, they are often already very close and have no time to escape.
For fish like these, which lack the ability to protect themselves, they must live in groups in order to survive.
Going it alone will only make it food for other marine creatures.
In fact, this is true for many fish, especially smaller ones, such as sardines, herrings, mackerel, flying fish, and so on.
Only when the population is large enough can some members escape, allowing the species to continue to survive and reproduce.
After they had prepared the trawl net, they first dragged the marlin, which had been bled almost completely, into the hold, and then divided the work among themselves.
One person steered the boat while the other returned to the stern and lowered the trawl net.
They didn't go far, but just circled around the current sea area and worked for about two hours.
Then, they circled the two islands again before starting to set up the nets.
This net, once hauled in, undoubtedly contained mostly filefish, weighing over 300 jin (approximately 150 kg).
In addition, there was a small amount of miscellaneous fish, shrimp, and crabs.
There are also some larger ones, mainly sea bass and mackerel.
Spring and summer are the fishing seasons for most fish species.
It's just that some are very obvious, while others are not so obvious, but you can still clearly feel that there are more fish.
"Goodness, this net has caught far more filefish than the last one."
"That's the advantage of encountering schools of fish. No matter how valuable they are, you can always catch a lot with one net."
As they talked, the two emptied out all the cargo, tidied up the fishing nets, and continued their work.
It's still early, not even 10 a.m., we can still do one more haul.
When the Rising Sun once again sailed to Island No. 1 (the island where Feng Jiaqing and Feng Jialing placed their egg-laying devices, hereinafter the same), they saw a ship approaching from afar.
"Brother Ye, a boat is coming. Could it be my dad and Uncle San returning?"
Ah-chan quickly sent a reminder.
Feng Ye stood up and looked around: "It should be. Okay, let's just wander around here and wait for them to come."
Although I had this guess in my heart, and hoped it was true, I couldn't rule out the possibility that it was another ship coming.
There are many islands in this sea area, so there are many ships gathered here, and it's inevitable that there will be people with ill intentions.
The Rising Sun continued its operations around Island No. 1, its eyes occasionally glancing at the approaching vessel.
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