Chapter 309: Following the Anchovy School

But he knows today's luck value is 90; it shouldn't be just this little catch.

This time Ye Cheng hauled for one and a half hours, then reduced speed, letting Xiao Hu pull up the net.

Judging by how tight the rope is, this net has weight; now it's just a matter of what we can haul up.

The net slowly rose, filling more than half of it; inside was an expanse of white fish bellies.

It looks good, but...

They're all small fish, that kind of tiny fish, each about 10 centimeters long.

Without even taking them out, Ye Cheng knows these are anchovies.

Anchovies are small, slender marine fish, streamlined overall, with blue-green or blue-gray backs that have a metallic sheen, reflecting light in water to form camouflage; their sides and bellies are silvery-white, making them easy to identify.

Anchovies live in schools; a single net can haul in as much as ten tonnes.

Anchovies are an important link in the marine food chain, of course mainly as prey.

Also because they are abundant, their price is low; they are not usually eaten directly but processed into products like canned fish, fish meal, and feed.

The price per catty is only about 1-2 yuan.

Xiao Hu opened the net, and several hundred catties of anchovies fell onto the deck; Ye Cheng looked at a deck-full of anchovies and felt no interest at all.

Several hundred catties equal several hundred yuan, but this pile is still not worth as much as a single mouse grouper.

Next door, Duan Chunsheng's catch was similar—his net was full of anchovies; he must have run into a school of anchovies.

"Lao Er, what do you say?" Duan Chunsheng asked over the walkie-talkie, "Should we call it a day, or toss them out and try another net?"

Ye Cheng looked at this boat's worthless catch, feeling speechless; seeing that there was still time for another net, he finally decided to release them.

"Duan Shu, let's release them and try another net."

"Okay, we'll follow your lead."

With my 90 luck value, you give me this kind of fish—I'd never accept it, even if I were beaten to death.

Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu sprang into action, grabbing two shovels and tossing the anchovies back into the sea.

Some had already died, but a large portion remained alive.

These anchovies sprang to life as soon as they hit the water, quickly forming a small school that swam straight off into the distance.

Over on Duan Chunsheng's side, everything was done; Ye Cheng was just thinking about continuing to haul the net when Duan Chunsheng suddenly shouted,

"Lao Er, wait, look at these fish."

Following Duan Chunsheng's finger, Ye Cheng looked toward the sea surface.

The anchovies we just released actually joined with the ones Duan Chunsheng released, and then they all swam off in the same direction.

Who knows how they communicate, but they managed to find their companions.

"Duan Shu, what, are you still studying them?"

"No, look at the direction they're swimming—it's purposeful; I suspect there's a large school of anchovies ahead."

"A large school of anchovies? You still want to haul that? I don't want to haul them."

Hauling that, even if we got a tonne, would be pointless—the price is just too low.

"No, Lao Er, anchovies are prey for other fish; if there's an anchovy school, there might be other fish schools as well," Duan Chunsheng explained.

That makes sense.

Only then did Ye Cheng realize: Duan Chunsheng truly lives up to being an old fisherman—his experience far surpasses mine.

"Then, Duan Shu, shall we follow them?"

"Yeah, let's go after them and see; maybe we'll find a fish school."

The two agreed instantly, adjusted the boat's heading, opened the throttle, and gave chase.

After about ten minutes of sailing, Ye Cheng saw the sea surface ahead glittering, reflecting metallic light in the sun—a large patch; indeed we'd run into an anchovy school.

"Duan Shu, you're awesome—you even guessed this!" Ye Cheng shouted excitedly.

"That's right; Old Duan Shu has been fishing for decades."

"What should we do, Duan Shu?" Although we saw the anchovy school, Ye Cheng hadn't seen any predators yet.

"We'll go ahead, then cast the net to meet the anchovy school; surely there will be a fish school following behind."

"Alright!"

The two swung the boat's bow, quickly surpassed the anchovy school, then turned the bow around and lowered the trawl net; this time they were hauling the upper-layer net.

"Lao Er, start!"

Duan Chunsheng bellowed, and the two steered alongside the anchovy school, intending to haul the net but needing to avoid the school, otherwise they'd haul nothing but these little things.

Barely avoiding the anchovy school, they then saw a large group of fish appear on the sea surface behind them—slender-bodied, swimming fast.

"Lao Er, it's hairtail; let's haul it."

Ye Cheng responded, coordinating with Duan Chunsheng to pull the net over, letting the trawl net make close contact with the hairtail school.

Whoosh.

The trawl rope behind suddenly tightened, Ye Cheng felt the boat shudder—this meant we'd hooked fish.

Ye Cheng didn't rush to haul the net; instead he pulled forward a bit, then reduced speed so Xiao Hu could haul the net.

The two stood on the stern deck, watching as the net was hauled out of the water, the scene of leaping fish repeating itself.

"Brother, it really is hairtail—this net's a bonanza."

It truly is a bonanza; even with the newly installed winch, hauling the net takes some effort.

Moreover, halfway up, small hairtail kept slipping out through the net mesh from time to time.

The net was brought onto the deck; Xiao Hu exerted great effort to loosen the rope, needing no shaking—the hairtail in the net all flopped onto the deck with a splash.

"Holy smokes! A full net!" Xiao Hu laughed happily; this haul basically had nothing else—just hairtail.

"Hey, look—hurry up and scoop them, or they'll all get away soon."

Hairtails are slender; on the deck they slither around like snakes. Because they were stacked too high, several large hairtails, relying on their sturdy bodies, have already escaped back to the sea.

The two started frantically throwing hairtails into the hold; damn it, the boat is just too small, no conveyor belt installed, otherwise it wouldn't be this chaotic.

Later, the two simply stopped carrying them by hand and started pushing them with their hands.

They put both hands on the ground and pushed directly; though a bit rough, it saved effort, mainly because hairtails sell for money whether dead or alive.

After all the hairtails were thrown in, the two were already covered in that white natural coating from the hairtails' bodies.

That silvery-white film on the hairtails' bodies is composed of guanine crystals; it is a natural protective layer, uniformly lustrous, but touches cause it to shed slightly.

Now, not only are Ye Cheng and Xiao Hu covered in it, but the deck is full of this white stuff.

Xiao Hu fetched a hose, first rinsed himself off, then washed the deck clean.

The young man is sturdier, so wet clothes don't bother him; Ye Cheng doesn't dare, for this stuff might cause arthritis later, so he just washed his hands and let the smell stay on him.

Having finished his own side, Ye Cheng glanced at Duan Chunsheng, who was working alone and still slower, with about half left to finish.