MMB Chapter 1621 Going to Sell Fish
Chapter 1621 Going to Sell Fish
Chapter 1621 Going Back to Sell Fish
With everyone's combined efforts, the entire net was pulled up from the water, and the fish inside the net thrashed and splashed on the surface.
Ye Yaodong stood on the ship's tower and looked down. This net was a fairly normal one, with nothing particularly large.
After the nets are pulled up, the fish bags are hoisted and, following the procedure, first moved to the fish release area. Then, iron rakes are used to push the mountain of fish away onto the conveyor belt, which then transports them to the sorting area, where the assembly line begins sorting and processing.
He also went up to the deck for a stroll.
By the time the entire net was hauled up, it was basically dinnertime.
I logged off again when it was already dark; it's early spring now, and the days are still short and the nights are long.
After instructing the captain, Ye Yaodong and the others planned to instruct the first and second officers in the evening, and then go to rest later when it was late at night.
You can basically memorize this after doing it once or twice; the rest depends on your adaptability.
The searchlights of the Dongyu 1 were like several gleaming giant swords, ruthlessly cleaving through the thick night sea.
The taut cable trailing from the stern plunged deep into the dark water, connecting to the fishing net.
On the sea, apart from the "whoosh" of the ship cutting through the waves and the deep roar of the engine, only darkness surged, boundless and unfathomable, as if it could suck away all light and sound.
A timid person could feel their legs go weak just by looking at the pitch-black surroundings. Fortunately, there was more than one boat in the whole world, and a few fish lanterns could be seen in the distance and behind.
Otherwise, if they were the only fishing boat, it would be even more terrifying, as if they were about to be swallowed by darkness, and there would only be people on their boat left in the world. Fear could overwhelm them.
Fortunately, the crew consisted of either navy personnel or experienced fishermen.
The waves churning at the stern took on an eerie milky white hue under the lights, only to be quickly swallowed by the inky darkness.
Where the searchlight beam swept across, fine water droplets splashed like silver dust, briefly illuminating a small patch of rolling waves before disappearing into deeper darkness.
Occasionally, one or two startled small fish will leap out of the water stirred by the lights in a panic, their silver scales flashing before disappearing into the shadows beside the boat.
Suddenly, the radar detected a large school of fish approaching them, and the red dots on the display screen became more and more numerous, getting closer and closer to the fishing boat.
Countless tiny lanterns, shimmering with a pale blue or fluorescent green light, seemed to appear out of thin air near the searchlight, slowly drifting and floating.
That was the bioluminescence emitted by symbiotic bacteria inside the transparent squid, faint yet clear.
The squid's body is transparent underwater, but it turns into a milky white or red cylindrical shape after it comes ashore.
Without Ye Yaodong's prompting, the first mate knew exactly what to do: to maneuver the fishing boat and catch all the squid in one fell swoop.
Ye Yaodong also hopes to catch more squid, especially deep-sea giant red squid, which is the most important raw material for his processing plant.
Now the factory has also built a cold storage facility, so it can store any amount of goods and consume them slowly. After all, it's not possible to catch a large number of giant red squid every day. The sea area is rich in resources, but it also depends on luck.
"Boss, this bunch are giant red squid. We have the raw materials for the factory." The first mate was even happier than he was.
The second mate also said, "We can fill the cold storage when we get back the day after tomorrow. We haven't been out to sea for a while, so we've been relying on buying from outside. It's better to catch our own fish."
"Yes, keep an eye on the screen. Nighttime is a good time to catch squid."
Squid are strongly phototactic and are easily attracted to light.
Ye Yaodong wondered if he should also build a special light-up squid-catching boat.
After all, processing plants mainly produce squid strips, which have a high demand for squid, and squid is also expensive, so they can sell it for a good price.
Large, light-up squid fishing boats are also expensive to build, now starting at a million dollars.
He thought about it and decided to wait until he had some free time to go to Shanghai and ask about it then. Right now, he wanted to build large fishing boats.
As Ye Yaodong was contemplating the arrangements for the squid fishing boat, he kept an eye on the glowing spots of the squid swarm on the fish finder when suddenly a dense cluster of red bumps appeared on the edge of the radar screen.
It was only four or five nautical miles away, yet it was moving incredibly fast, its course heading straight for their area, directly into their trawling operation zone!
His eyes widened. "Damn it, where did this random boat come from?!"
Ye Yaodong cursed and frantically pressed the high-frequency button, yelling, "Hey! Hey! There's a trawling net over here! Get out of the way! Respond if you hear me!"
He shouted several times, but the other side didn't respond at all, not even turning on a navigation light, leaving everything in complete darkness.
"Hold!"
Ye Yaodong stubbed out his cigarette and rushed to the radar. The red dots were moving fast and wildly, showing no signs of normal fishing boats avoiding or communicating with them.
He quickly picked up the walkie-talkie and notified the other fishing boats, "A group of ghost ships are approaching, and there is no response. Turn on all the deck lights immediately."
This serves as a deterrent, alerting approaching fishing boats.
Suddenly, several bright searchlights shot out from the dark sea, making people dizzy.
By the light, you could see the shadows of several boats. The boats were short and oddly shaped, just dark shadows without any navigation lights, flags, or markings. They didn't look like legitimate fishermen.
"High frequency! Shout it again! Tell them we're trawling! Tell them to get out of the way!"
After Ye Yaodong finished speaking, he picked up his binoculars and went out to take a look, cursing under his breath, "Damn it, where did this fishing boat with such a lack of manners come from?"
The first mate immediately switched to VHF radio and shouted: "Unidentified vessel! Unidentified vessel! Our vessel is currently operating! Please give way immediately! Please give way immediately! Respond if you receive this! Respond if you receive this!"
All they received in response was a suffocating hissing noise from the high-frequency radio, and the other party's engine roaring closer and closer as if it were about to fall apart.
The other party completely ignored their shouts and cut straight across the sea not far from the bow of the Dongyu No. 1, causing the waves to make their own boat rock violently.
The ship trailed black smoke behind it and headed straight out to sea without looking back, disappearing from radar range in the blink of an eye.
Ye Yaodong took down the binoculars and spat, "Bad luck! Are you in such a hurry to be reborn?"
The people on deck were also cursing and swearing. They were feeling unlucky because of these ghost ships that were running around without lights. They thought something bad had happened. Everyone gathered on the deck and watched the group of ships speed by.
The originally dense dots of light on the fish finder screen were instantly disrupted into a chaotic and scattered mess.
The swarm of squid that had just gathered had long since dispersed to who knows where.
"Boss, what kind of ships were those just now? Why are they moving like that?"
"Yes, they really don't know the rules. They just cut in like that. This is clearly our work area."
"Damn it, not a single response. Where did this random boat come from? It's like it's in a hurry to be reborn."
"This is the first time we've encountered a ship like this. They even shone searchlights at us. They're so arrogant."
The first and second mates cursed and swore, and Ye Yaodong also cursed a few times before saying, "These are smuggling ships, they're reckless."
"No wonder it was pitch black. If it weren't for the radar detection, we might not have been able to spot it until we drove right past. There were no markings at all, not even the lights were on."
Ye Yaodong said, "Only a ghost would dare not turn on the lights or make any response."
Cursing also came through the walkie-talkie.
"What's going on? What kind of boat is so disregarding the rules, cutting right into our work area?"
"Damn it, are those ships rushing to their deaths? They scared the crap out of me, everyone on board got up and stood on the deck."
"We were the same. The radar kept beeping and alerting us. We thought it was the Japanese and that we were going to fight tonight."
"Haha, that's what we think too. We've been telling the workers to get ready for a fight and pick up their weapons."
"Those must be smuggling boats, right? It's so dark they don't even dare turn on the lights."
Ye Yaodong echoed, "Yes, those are smuggling ships. They've already left the radar's monitoring range. Just continue what you were doing."
"No wonder he's so arrogant."
"They're really courting death. There are warships patrolling this area."
That's why it ran so fast.
"Let's get back to work, our squid swarm has been scattered."
"Luckily, we were just closing in the net..."
Everyone was complaining and cursing at the same time.
Ye Yaodong put the walkie-talkie aside and said to the two men, "They've scattered the fish. Let's start the rescanning again."
"Are they heading straight for international waters to make a deal? I wonder if they'll come crashing down later?"
"Just be a little more vigilant. They're after money, and they won't cause trouble for no reason."
"What bad luck."
It's really bad luck. I was thinking I'd been lucky these past two days and hadn't encountered any fishing boats, but I never expected to run into these ghost ships at night.
Everyone became more vigilant. Ye Yaodong decided not to rest that night and let the second mate rest while he and the first mate took the shift.
The second mate is mainly in charge of the deck, but he also needs to know how to operate the ship, cast nets, and run the equipment, so he also has to learn.
Thanks to that group of ghost ships, no fish can be detected in the vicinity now, so they can only continue to spend time searching.
The rest of the night was peaceful until dawn; there were only frights but no real dangers, but everyone still cursed all day long.
Ye Yaodong and others went to rest after dawn.
According to the original plan, his father should have sent out a cargo ship by early this morning at the latest, and if he returned the next day, he would definitely be able to contact the cargo ship en route.
After waking up, he planned to have his boats take turns having the workers move all the cargo onto his boats during the lull between net hauling.
Of course, it also has to be in sync with his net-hauling time. During the gaps in the schedule, whichever boat can take over first will carry the goods.
There are a total of 7 ships behind them. It will take a lot of time to move all the cargo from all 7 ships over. We need to make arrangements for it today.
If there isn't enough time, you can leave the cargo for two or three boats and then move the rest of the cargo when the fresh catcher arrives. This way, it won't delay the trawling process as much.
In the afternoon, fishing boats began to move their catch toward him, and he had to stop casting his nets. Some people were sorting the catch, while others were receiving the catch from the fishing boats on the other side.
The focus, of course, is on moving the tuna.
There are a total of 291 bluefin tuna, 402 albacore tuna, and too many other species to count.
These fish will have to be sold to a fishing company with export rights; they won't sell well domestically because the prices are too high.
Starting in the afternoon, their boat also stopped trawling, while other fishing boats kept coming over to pick them up, sometimes two boats would deliver cargo together.
They worked until the next morning to finish transporting all the cargo from the ships.
They also transported some of the spare fish they had left over, so they wouldn't have to worry about any gaps in their fishmeal production line when they returned.
Ye Yaodong told them to first check the freezer compartment, then clean the deck, tidy up what needed tidying up, and secure what needed securing.
While everyone was busy packing up to return home, he chatted with the other fishing boats over the walkie-talkie.
"Hey, hey, seven ships, please respond if you can hear me."
"can hear."
"Once the cargo has been delivered, we will also arrange for the return trip. The remaining seven boats will look after each other on the sea. Just fish in this area and don't go to other people's fishing areas."
"If anything happens, we should discuss and resolve it together. If there's no time to discuss, we should make our own decisions to deal with the emergency. We are all experienced fishermen, so we should just trust our own judgment."
"I believe in you, and you must believe in yourselves. As long as it doesn't involve the safety of people, everything else is a minor matter. Just make bold decisions."
Everyone responded in unison, "Received."
"According to the sailing route, the cargo ship should arrive by tomorrow night. You will then coordinate and arrange the transportation. It will probably take at least one or two days to unload the cargo."
"If we start sailing back today, including today, it will take at least 5 days to get back here."
"You all need to be extra careful about your safety. If anything happens, call the public channel."
Ye Yaodong gave them a few long-winded instructions, because it was the first time he had left them at sea and he was a little worried about not keeping an eye on them.
Fortunately, he was only gone for 6 days, so consider it a test of everyone's adaptability.
If things go smoothly this time, he can feel more at ease in the future.
"Got it, Dongzi. Don't worry, you can go back now. You'll be back in a few days anyway."
"Yes, with so many ships like us, how could we be bullied? We can handle anything ourselves."
"Yes, we can just discuss and solve problems ourselves. Anyway, another fish-collecting boat will arrive tomorrow night, and you can also communicate on the way back."
Ye Yaodong agreed, "Okay, then I'll head back now."
"Okay, be careful on the road."
Ye Yaodong signaled to the captain to bring up the nautical chart and prepare to adjust the bow of the ship.
"Set the coordinates and get ready to head back. Check the wind speed and wave height. I'll go down there to check. Are you okay?"
"No problem, the coordinates are all ready, and you've already planned your return route before you set off."
"Ah."
The cryogenic chamber is his lifeline!
He went to do one last check of the freezer, checked the temperature gauge to make sure it was stable at tens of degrees below zero, locked the door, and sealed the gaps tightly with old cotton blankets, just in case the cold air leaked out and suffocated the fish.
The deck also needs to be cleared and reinforced. Everything that can sway, such as empty fish boxes, ice shovels, spare buoys, and all sorts of ropes, should be tied tightly to the deck anchoring rings with thick hemp rope.
Or you could just stuff it inside the cabin and lock it up, otherwise a big wave could send "balls" flying all over the deck and kill people.
The nets were thoroughly cleaned inside and out with a high-pressure water gun yesterday, hung up to drain, and covered tightly with a large canvas and tied securely to prevent them from aging due to sun and rain.
He doesn't need to inspect the other engine rooms; even if you ask him to look, he wouldn't understand them.
The fishing boat had already begun its return journey. After checking everything, he returned to the cockpit to make a final check of the nautical chart, navigation coordinates, and radar monitoring.
With everything in order, I finally sat down and lit a cigarette, feeling relieved.
Their return journey is not the same route as their arrival. After all, fishing boat operations are mobile and not stationary, so they may not be able to return via the same route.
The initial turning point was set at 26°N, 124°E, which is located northwest of DYD, and we sailed in a northwest direction.
The second turning point was not a tributary of the Kuroshio Current, and Ye Yaodong was not comfortable leaving everything to them, so he kept an eye on it himself. Anyway, it would only take two days at most to get there.
"I didn't expect to go back so soon."
"Once the freshwater harvesting boats arrive next year, you won't be able to go back even if you want to."
"Well, it's fine as it is now. You can go ashore every now and then, so you can know what's happening on the shore and deal with emergencies."
"Okay, once you're more familiar with the route, you can run it on your own even if I'm busy."
Then he can let go and come to see what's happening. If he wants to go to sea, he can stay on land and keep things under control without taking any risks.
"As we sailed along, the fish finder always detected a large number of fish. We detected more than a dozen groups in half a day, which made us very eager to see them."
"The fishing nets have all been cleared and put away. Since the other boats are all fishing, our boat will temporarily serve as a fresh catcher for the time being, and we'll do it for a year first."
"Hey, good."
Ye Yaodong was on duty for the first half of the night, while the second half was left to others.
When he woke up after resting, it was already evening. They had reached the second turning point, the Langgangshan Islands.
This is an important navigation point in the offshore waters of Zhejiang Province. The reefs are characterized by significant swells. Fishing boats navigate around the eastern side of the archipelago to avoid the hidden reefs. At the same time, they receive traffic signals from the Zhoushan VTS system.
When they entered the busy shipping lane in the early hours of the second day, a 2-ton cargo ship appeared on their starboard side, and both sides confirmed and gave way to it via VHF channel 16.
This is normal operation. The ghost ships we encountered a few nights ago, where there was no response at all, were abnormal.
When it doesn't involve the interests of either party, people usually make concessions when communicating to inform each other of the situation.
As they approached the nearshore waters, the density of fishing boats on the sea surface increased sharply, with dozens of trawlers operating in formation.
Ye Yaodong instructed the captain to slow down and detour along the north side of the route to avoid entanglement with the fishing nets.
At this point, his ship was able to contact the Dong Sheng and communicate with it.
"Calling Dong Sheng, this is Ye Yaodong."
Ye Yaodong called out on the public channel, and there was an immediate response. They then went to the smaller channel to communicate.
"Did the cargo ship depart the day before yesterday?"
The other end of the channel immediately replied, "Yes, I heard early the day before yesterday that they went to pick up the goods from you. Didn't we run into them on the way?"
"No, we didn't take the Kuroshio tributary. We were probably too far apart to receive their signal."
"Since you've all returned to the coastal area, they should have reached their destination by now, right?"
"I hope so. Anyway, I'll go look for it in a couple of days."
Ye Yaopeng also joined the conversation, asking, "How was the trip?"
“Excellent! We caught a batch of tuna as soon as we arrived, including bluefin tuna. We made a fortune, earning enough from just one net to fill a whole boat.”
The goods haven't been sold yet. To be conservative, even if they have been sold, he wouldn't be able to give a clear figure of how much he made; he would only understate it.
"What?"
The people who connected to the channel exclaimed in surprise.
"What did you say? You caught bluefin tuna? Really? How many?"
"My goodness, these fish have become incredibly valuable for export in recent years, and they're very difficult to catch; they're quite rare."
"I'm rich! I actually caught a bluefin tuna? My God..."
Ye Yaopeng was so shocked he almost broke his thigh. "What? You caught them on every single boat?"
"Yes, every boat has a few fish, more or less. My boat was the first to plunge into the fish pile, so I caught a lot. I had to hurry back to sell them, otherwise I might not have come ashore with the fishing boats."
"Oh dear, I should have gone with you on this trip... We missed out. Those fish weigh several hundred pounds each, and they could have sold for tens of thousands of dollars overseas."
Ye Yaodong explained, "It's not that expensive. This batch consists of semi-finished fish, each about one or two meters long and weighing around one or two hundred kilograms."
Ye Yaopeng was filled with regret. Even a half-ripe fish is still a bluefin tuna. If he could just catch a few, he could immediately recoup the cost of the fishing boat.
I missed it, I'm so regretful.
Ye Yaohua was also heartbroken. He wished they had just gone with Dongzi and earned more money.
Anyway, with so many fishing boats, there's no need to worry about danger. Whether we're in the near sea or in the deep sea, it's all about getting to know each other.
He quickly said, "Dongzi, why don't you go to the deep sea again in a couple of days and pass through this area? My brother and I can take a big ship and go with you."
"Sure, didn't you say you have some new crew members on board and want to fish in coastal waters for a while to get them used to each other?"
“That was what I was thinking, but aren’t you catching a big catch? I was thinking there are more deep-sea fish, and the chances are greater.” Ye Yaohua felt like he was being scratched by a cat.
They invested heavily in this ship, emptying their savings, and they are all eager to earn it back as soon as possible.
Ye Yaopeng quickly chimed in, "Yes, next time we go, we'll either go with you or not."
Ye Yaohua discussed with Ye Yaopeng, "Why don't we go back and rest today, and then go with Dongzi to the deep sea in a couple of days?"
Ye Yaopeng agreed, "That's fine too. After all, it's said that a trip to the deep sea will take several months, and we'll be on the water the whole time. We need to go back and make preparations in advance, and we also need to let the workers rest. This trip also took more than 10 days at sea."
"Then, Dongzi, shall we agree on this? My brother and I will wait until we've hauled this net in, and then we'll head ashore."
Ye Yaodong had no objection. "Okay, you can discuss it and make a decision yourselves. I'll leave when you're ready to go."
"Hey, good."
Xiao Xiao said in the channel, "You've made me really itchy to order one too."
A-Zheng said, "Then let's do it. Dongzi has already made so many boats, we can't even catch up with him, but at least we can get some soup."
“I told you last year that we should go too, but your dad told you not to bother, saying that this ship is enough to make money.”
“Look, Dongzi has already caught a bluefin tuna. I don’t care anymore. I’ll just order one from the shipyard here after we get back to shore.”
His announcement of catching a bluefin tuna caused a sensation, and everyone was eager to try it.
P.S.: My eyes are too tired to keep open, I need to sleep.