438: First foray into the Pacific

They thought the surprises were enough, but when the end of the Longline Fishing line emerged from the water, both Yang Qi and Bai Xue cried out in shock.

"Large Yellow Croaker!"

There, on the hook at the end of the line, was a golden fish weighing about eight catties, struggling with all its might.

Yang Qi and Bai Xue looked at each other, hardly able to believe their eyes.

Don't be fooled by its modest size; its value actually exceeded that of the Yellowfin Tuna they caught yesterday.

Bai Xue carefully removed the Large Yellow Croaker and gently placed it into the Live Well.

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since they last caught a Large Yellow Croaker, and that previous catch had also been in these nearby waters.

As expected, the Large Yellow Croaker resources in the East China Sea far surpassed other regions. After all, before they faced extinction, they were once a specialty of the East China Sea.

The two of them then proceeded to pull in the Crab traps. The harvest was very gratifying; the Crabs here were large and of many varieties, far exceeding ordinary sea areas.

The "setting sail" continued its journey southeast. A few hours later, it passed through Chiwei Islet and entered the vast, boundless ocean.

This place was already outside the East China Sea and belonged to the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

Yang Qi and Bai Xue stood side by side at the bow, watching the surging waves and feeling the oceanic wind blowing against them, their hearts inevitably racing with excitement.

Since the two of them bought the "setting sail," their furthest journey north had been to the Korea Strait, and their furthest south had reached the Zhongsha Islands.

Technically, those distances weren't shorter than this one, but the significance here was different because this was truly the open ocean.

Today marked the first time since they started going to sea that they felt the wind of the open ocean. It was a milestone in their fishing careers, holding extraordinary meaning.

Holding hands, they walked from the bow to the stern and then climbed up to the Flybridge.

Bai Xue took out her camera and snapped photos everywhere—of the blue sky, the white clouds, the soaring birds, and the ocean waves.

"Pacific Ocean, here I come!"

In the video, Bai Xue raised both hands high and shouted toward the sky, her sense of ceremony fully on display.

After about twenty minutes of emotional reflection, they finally returned to their working state.

Bai Xue used binoculars to scan the sea surface in all directions and suddenly shouted:

"Hubby, I found a flock of birds!"

"Five kilometers to the southeast. It's overwhelming; there are at least a thousand seabirds hunting there."

Finding schools of fish by following bird flocks was the most direct method in the ocean; it was accurate every single time.

Yang Qi once again complained that his Supernatural Ability was becoming increasingly useless in the boundless ocean. It was simply too weak!

Bai Xue was currently steering the "setting sail" toward the flock of birds.

However, when they were still three or four nautical miles away from the birds, a group of uninvited guests burst into Yang Qi's Supernatural Ability vision.

It turned out to be a small-to-medium-sized school of Salmon.

Yang Qi thought to himself that while he didn't know what kind of fish were under those birds yet, what he encountered here was cold, hard cash!

This school of Salmon was also worth a fortune! He'd deal with them first!

Once Yang Qi made his decision, he picked up the walkie-talkie and began directing Bai Xue to turn the helm:

"Xiao Xue, five nautical miles to the southeast."

"Got it, Hubby. Five nautical miles southeast."

As the saying goes, hesitation leads to defeat!

Bai Xue didn't have any objections and immediately turned the helm to proceed.

Yang Qi brought out the Longline Fishing gear and began baiting it. Fortunately, he had already hooked on many fish chunks along the way.

He quickly baited a whole basket of longline gear. Upon reaching the designated destination, he brought out two large Gillnets.

After returning from the Korea Strait last time, those Gillnets were all ruined. Yang Qi had specifically bought two new four-hundred-meter ones to keep on the boat for emergencies.

"Xiao Xue, go in a Z-pattern. I'm getting ready to set the nets."

By this time, Bai Xue had already seen the school of fish through the fish finder, so she naturally understood Yang Qi's intention.

The two of them worked together to quickly set the two Gillnets, followed by a basket of longline gear.

Once all the work was done, Yang Qi looked up and saw that the Salmon school had already hit the first net.

The floats on the sea surface were shaking incessantly, like Old Man Wu suffering from a stroke.

In Yang Qi's vision, plump Salmon were slamming hard into the fishing net. Some were caught in the mesh, unable to move forward or backward.

As they struggled, the surrounding net wrapped tighter and tighter; there was no escape.

More and more Salmon were swept into the net and caught in the mesh, and this weight dragged the net down into the sea.

Consequently, the rest of the school continued to be swept into the second net, the third, the fourth... Yang Qi stopped watching the grand spectacle of the fish hitting the nets and directed Bai Xue to steer the fishing boat to the end of the first net they had set.

He used the Gaff to accurately pull up the float and began hauling in the net using the Crane's boom.

At this moment, Bai Xue was still feeling a bit uneasy. After all, they had just abandoned that unknown school of fish to choose this group of Salmon.

"Oh ho! It's King Salmon, so many King Salmon!"

Bai Xue immediately cheered.

As the Crane boom rose, the large Gillnet was gradually lifted out of the sea, and the net was covered in Salmon.

"Salmon" is not a specific term but a general name for various species in the Salmonidae family.

What Yang Qi and Bai Xue encountered today was a type of Pacific Salmon called the Chinook Salmon.

Also known as King Salmon, it is considered the most expensive type of Salmon.

King Salmon have varied body colors; the head and back are blue-green, red, or purple, the sides are silver, and the belly is white.

There are black spots on the tail and the upper half of the trunk, and both saltwater and freshwater forms have a black gum line around the mouth.

The color of the flesh can range from pink to white depending on its diet.

Adult King Salmon typically weigh 10–30 kilograms and are over 60–100 centimeters long.

The largest individuals can weigh over 50 kilograms and reach lengths of around 150 centimeters. It is the largest species among Pacific Salmon.

The fat and muscle tissue of King Salmon are distributed in a marbled pattern, melting in the mouth with a distinct springiness when chewed.

The flavor of the meat carries a faint milky fragrance and a nutty aftertaste. It has a low drip loss rate, making it suitable for Sashimi, low-temperature slow cooking, and other methods that highlight its natural flavor.

In contrast, ordinary Salmon has a slightly fishy aftertaste and is better suited for heavy seasoning methods like smoking or grilling.

Because King Salmon are sensitive to the environment and difficult to farm, global production accounts for only about 1% of total Salmon production. It is regarded as a high-end ingredient, known as the "Rolls-Royce of Salmon."

The import price for a whole fish is about 300-400 yuan/kg, significantly higher than ordinary Atlantic Salmon (150-200 yuan/kg).

As the Crane boom rose, the Gillnet was pulled out of the sea inch by inch. As far as the eye could see, none of the King Salmon on the net were under forty centimeters.

Most were around seventy or eighty centimeters long.

Yang Qi thought to himself that while the school wasn't massive, the size of these fish was truly impressive.

When Bai Xue saw they were Salmon earlier, she had already said:

"These King Salmon must be bled to be preserved, otherwise the meat quality and price will be greatly reduced."