After lunch, it was already 1 p.m.
It takes about two hours to get back to the town's pier from Dolphin Island. And the fish traps we set in the mangroves and on Seagull Island the day before yesterday morning still haven't been taken in.
Chen Zhiyao was thinking of going back early today and taking the opportunity to collect the fish traps from both places, which she would then put into the sea along with the gillnets.
However, before going back, we need to retrieve the two fishing nets and ten crab traps we set this morning.
This morning's beachcombing was quite successful, especially near the small cave. Chen Zhiyao walked into the driver's seat with a smug smile on her face.
"I'm having a really lucky day, and I think the catch from the net will be pretty good."
"Alright, stop bragging and get the boat moving." Grandpa Chen, used to big scenes, remained calm and composed.
The small-hole fishing net was placed in the sea area in front of the rocky beach, and the fishing boat arrived in no time.
Before pulling in the net, Chen Zhiyao was full of confidence, but after the entire net was pulled up by the crane, she felt like she had been slapped in the face.
The catch from the net was pitifully small; apart from a few golden pomfret weighing a little over a pound, the rest were mostly small barracuda weighing a pound or two.
But these sea bream, which cost 10 yuan per kilogram, are not plentiful, and I don't even know if they're enough for 10.
Chen Zhiyao was dumbfounded when the net scooped it up.
I set nets on Seagull Island the day before yesterday, using the same small-hole gillnets, and I made about two thousand yuan. But today my harvest has dropped sharply.
Then, Chen Zhiyao pinned her hopes on the crab traps that had been put into the water with her.
The first crab trap was pretty good; it contained a three-pound conger eel and several octopuses.
However, the next three crab traps were all very light, and they were mostly filled with mud crabs, but they were not very big, all about three ounces each.
The fifth crab trap contained only a few octopuses and a small golden pomfret.
The stuff they received from just five crab baskets didn't even fill half a bucket, and Chen Zhiyao couldn't help but mutter to herself:
"Is this all the good luck I have for today?"
Grandpa Chen patted his granddaughter's shoulder and comforted her with a kind expression:
"There's also a sticky net and a few crab traps; maybe there will be a surprise later."
As he spoke, the old man got up and went to the wheelhouse, steered the fishing boat to the back of Dolphin Island, and prepared to haul in the coarse-mesh gillnets.
The coarse-mesh net had significantly more fish hanging on it than before, and they were also much larger.
Unfortunately, there's a problem: the fish hanging there are mostly barracuda and silver carp, the kind that cost 10 or 8 yuan per jin (500g).
In comparison, the last few crab traps yielded slightly better results.
The first crab trap I picked up contained two enormous blue crabs, each weighing over a pound.
The second crab trap had a huge hole in it, but there were two octopuses inside.
The remaining three crab traps were mostly filled with blue crabs weighing six or seven ounces each.
Seeing his granddaughter's unhappy expression, Grandpa Chen told her to go drive the boat while he untied the fish from the net.
Although the fishing net was quite long, there weren't many fish caught on it. In less than an hour, Grandpa Chen had finished cleaning up the catch from the two fishing nets and the 10 crab traps.
There was a scale on the fishing boat, so he weighed himself as well.
10 catties of golden pomfret, 60 catties of sea wolf, 55 catties of sea bream, 2 catties of octopus, 3 catties of conger eel, 5 catties of blue crab, and 4 catties of orchid crab.
Actually, these fish catches are considered quite good by the standards of ordinary fishermen in the village.
However, the results of the last two voyages were so good that Chen Zhiyao's heart was nurtured, which made her feel somewhat lost.
When Chen Zhiyao steered her fishing boat to Seagull Island, the people who had come to gather seafood that morning had already left.
The island was quiet at this time, with only the sound of waves crashing against the rocks and the joyful cries of seagulls.
The two first went to the rocky beach in the deep water to retrieve the fish traps.
There are a total of 7 fish traps here. Except for one produced by the system, the other 6 were brought over from our own fishing tackle shop.
Seven fish traps were set, but only five were found in the end. The other two were either stolen or swept away by the waves.
The only thing that made Chen Zhiyao feel a little better was that the cage produced by the system was still there.
The fish trap that cost her 1,000 points didn't disappoint her; inside were a sea bass weighing over 5 kilograms and a pearl grouper weighing over 4 kilograms.
However, the remaining four fish traps mostly yielded golden pomfret and small bass, and the catch seemed much worse than before.
Chen Zhiyao seemed to have already accepted the fact that she had used up all the good points of this setting that morning.
On the way to the mangrove forest, I had mentally prepared myself that the harvest might not be very good.
No matter how much she prepared herself mentally, Chen Zhiyao never expected that all six cages would be taken away.
Although the tide had come in and all traces nearby had been submerged, all six fish traps were gone, and it was obvious they had been stolen.
Moreover, the two fish traps that were missing from the rocky beach might have been secretly taken away.
Eight traps disappeared all at once. When she returned, Chen Zhiyao was so angry that her face turned pale, and she cursed the thief under her breath.
"The tide went out so low today, it must have been stolen by people who came to go beachcombing. They're so unethical, they'll definitely come back empty-handed from beachcombing in the future."
Thinking about how all eight fish traps and their catch were gone, resulting in a loss of over a thousand yuan, Chen Zhiyao became increasingly angry, her face turning red with agitation.
“This place is still too close to the land, so a lot of people come here to go beachcombing. From now on, just do as you said before and put the fish traps and nets into the sea together.”
"But these eight traps from today can't be brought back either."
Seeing that his granddaughter was still sullen, Grandpa Chen continued to try to cheer her up:
"Today's harvest is already quite good. One shouldn't be too greedy."
Chen Zhiyao felt a little better when she thought about the three-knife fish, goose barnacles, and small green lobsters she had eaten that morning.
The two returned early today, arriving at the pier at exactly 4 o'clock.
Knowing that the grandfather and grandson had plenty of good stuff to offer today, Boss Yang was already waiting at the dock early on.
As soon as the fishing boat docked, he eagerly jumped aboard to help unload the catch.
Upon seeing the goose barnacles and the little green dragons on the boat, Yang Jiajun's wide eyes gleamed with shrewdness.
These rare and premium seafood items are usually sold at a premium. If he could acquire this batch of fish and resell it, he could make a considerable profit.
As soon as he returned to the purchasing station, Yang Jiajun directed the helpers to weigh the catch, while he personally weighed the goose barnacles and small lobsters.
"These Buddha's Hand snails are of decent size, let's price them at 180 yuan per jin. As for the small green dragons, those over one jin are 200 yuan per jin, and those under one jin are 185 yuan per jin."
At this moment, the guy who was helping to weigh the fish brought over the three-striped fish that Chen Zhiyao had picked up that morning in a small bucket.
"Young boss, you should name your price for this three-knife fish."
"There's even a three-knife fish! I almost missed this little guy. It's just a bit small, so I can only offer it for 280 yuan per catty."
Although this price was much cheaper than the three-knife fish last time, the fish was indeed a bit small. Chen Zhiyao nodded in satisfaction.
"Okay, just do as you say, Brother Yang."
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