165: The horrible knocking homework

One must know that these were wild Large Yellow Croakers, and some deep-sea anglers might never catch a single wild Large Yellow Croaker in their entire lives.

Even wild Large Yellow Croakers weighing less than half a catty could sell for several hundred yuan per catty.

Yang Qi admitted that a few months prior, he wouldn't have been able to release wild Large Yellow Croakers. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility, and he could only do his part.

After a morning of high-intensity work, the two of them felt a bit tired. They sat on the deck, drinking iced beverages and resting for a while.

They tallied up the morning's Large Yellow Croaker catch, which was around four hundred fish, twenty-five of which weighed over ten catties.

In terms of weight, a catch of one to two thousand catties was far from substantial, but in terms of value, it was definitely a huge sum.

The Large Yellow Croaker was hailed as the "National Fish" and was once the foremost of China's four major economic fish species (Large Yellow Croaker, small Large Yellow Croaker, Beltfish, and cuttlefish).

This was not only because of its delicious taste and rich nutrition.

Its past production also had a very glorious history; the Zhoushan fishing grounds alone had an annual output of 168,000 tons. Fishermen could net hundreds of tons of Large Yellow Croaker in a single haul.

Otherwise, it would not have become one of the four major economic fish species.

However, everything came to an abrupt halt due to a destructive fishing method: the "knocking net" operation!

This method was invented in Chaoshan, Guangdong, during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, specifically for catching Large Yellow Croaker. It was also known as "knocking Large Yellow Croaker," "knocking pole operation," or "extortion."

During the operation, two mother ships and dozens of small boats would form a circle, continuously knocking bamboo planks tied to the fishing boats, narrowing the encirclement to a certain extent, then increasing the force of the knocking to stun the Large Yellow Croaker, and then scooping them all up.

This method utilized acoustic principles, where the knocking sound caused the otoliths of sciaenid fish like Large Yellow Croaker and small Large Yellow Croaker to resonate, stunning them before they were caught.

The knocking net operation had low costs and high efficiency. All sciaenid fish, regardless of size, were stunned and caught, making it far more vicious than an extermination net.

In 1954, the knocking net operation spread from Shantou, Guangdong, to Fujian, where it was promoted statewide, leading to high yields. Subsequently, fishermen across various regions followed suit, and it spread widely.

In 1957, the Large Yellow Croaker output in Zhejiang's Wenzhou region alone reached nearly 100,000 tons, an increase of 20 times.

The drastic increase in output led to a sharp drop in prices, with Large Yellow Croaker selling for a few fen per catty. Smaller individuals were directly discarded on the roadside for compost.

In 1958, after two years, the knocking net operation was halted in the Zhejiang region as a harmful fishing method.

However, from 1959 to 1961, during the three years of natural disasters, food was extremely scarce. To avoid starvation, people in many places redirected their attention to the Large Yellow Croaker. Seeking survival from the sea, they resumed the knocking net method, which alleviated the food crisis.

In 1963, the State Council issued the "Order on Prohibiting Knocking Net Operations," and the knocking net operation was halted for a second time.

Subsequently, during the Cultural Revolution, many regions resumed the knocking net operation.

In 1974, Zhejiang Province organized two thousand fishing boats to go to the central Large Yellow Croaker fishing grounds for a catch. This fishing dealt a fatal blow to the Large Yellow Croaker population, with the highest recorded output reaching 168,100 tons.

Since then, the wild Large Yellow Croaker population in the East China Sea has sharply declined, almost disappearing without a trace.

In just two or three decades, a species population was nearly wiped out, which is truly regrettable.

The extreme decline in resources directly led to a drastic increase in fishing difficulty. Nowadays, fishermen catch wild Large Yellow Croaker purely by luck; it has truly reached a point where one fish is hard to find.

In addition to the reasons above, wild Large Yellow Croaker has become a must-have dish at high-end banquets in coastal areas, with a stable market demand.

Overall, the high price of wild Large Yellow Croaker is mainly due to:

Between 1954 and 1974, the widespread use of knocking net operations caused a devastating blow to the wild Large Yellow Croaker population, leading to a population gap that made recovery impossible.

The market demand for wild Large Yellow Croaker is enormous, far exceeding the current catch volume, which has led to the current situation where one fish is hard to find.

This means that wild Large Yellow Croaker can no longer be served on the tables of ordinary households.

The Large Yellow Croaker, once the foremost of China's four major economic fish species, exists in name only.

Think about it! If ordinary people can't buy it or afford to eat it, how can it still be considered an economic fish?

It's fortunate that nowadays, Large Yellow Croaker farming technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and more and more farmed Large Yellow Croakers are entering the homes of ordinary people.

The price, taste, texture, and nutritional value of farmed Large Yellow Croaker are far inferior to those of wild Large Yellow Croaker.

Farmed Large Yellow Croakers weighing less than a catty, priced at a few dozen yuan per catty, can somewhat satisfy the cravings of ordinary people.

(Aside: I really rambled on here.)

Bai Xue suggested shortening the time at sea, ideally returning in the evening to sell the Large Yellow Croaker before heading out again.

Otherwise, if some of them died, it would be a huge loss. Live Large Yellow Croaker, after all, is much more expensive than chilled ones.

Yang Qi thought about it and felt that Bai Xue was right, so he said to her:

"Then why don't we head back after dinner! You go make dinner, and I'll transfer some of the Large Yellow Croaker to this large live fish tank to better ensure their survival rate."

"Okay! I'll listen to you."

Bai Xue had always been very decisive. She finished speaking and set off to make dinner.

"Xiaoxue, let's steam two Large Yellow Croakers for lunch! We'll both have a taste."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xue stumbled, almost falling. She then turned and gave Yang Qi a glare.

Yang Qi gave an awkward laugh and also got up, went to the small live fish tank containing the Large Yellow Croaker, and began to use a scoop net to transfer most of the Large Yellow Croaker into the large live fish tank.

Several air pump hoses were placed on both sides to maximize the Large Yellow Croaker's survival rate.

Lunch was quite rich, including steak brought from home, stir-fried greens, stir-fried pork belly with garlic sprouts, a tomato and egg soup, and most importantly, a steamed wild Large Yellow Croaker.

It seemed that although Bai Xue was reluctant to eat wild Large Yellow Croaker, she still cooked one for Yang Qi.

Yang Qi picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks. Indeed, the flesh was firm, tender, juicy, uniquely fresh and fragrant, melting in his mouth with a hint of sweetness. In a word, it was extremely delicious.

Soon, the two of them finished the Large Yellow Croaker. Yang Qi smacked his lips, still wanting more, but didn't dare to say much. He estimated that Bai Xue wouldn't agree to cook another; one was probably her limit.

So, they just ate the steak. The two of them quickly devoured all the dishes. With Yang Qi, the glutton, around, nothing was left.

After tidying everything up, the two began their return journey home.

The setting sail, such a large fishing yacht, carrying such a small catch, was no different from an empty boat.

During dinner, Yang Qi had already told Bai Xue that he and Zhang Jun would go deep-sea fishing on a boat tomorrow.

Therefore, the setting sail would not go out to sea after returning today. They would rest well in the afternoon and evening, waiting to meet Zhang Jun at dawn tomorrow and head out to sea.

If Bai Xue wanted to go out to sea in the next few days, it would be convenient; the fuel was already topped up, so it would be fine as long as she didn't go too far... PS: Please: like, comment, urge for updates, and free "power with love."

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