478: Chapter 478 Yongshu Island

It took everyone over three hours to sort through the catch. It wasn't because there were many fish, but because they were small and troublesome to handle.

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, the explorer arrived in the waters near Yongshu Island.

Yongshu Island is an artificial island built on the southwestern reef of Yongshu Reef. It is the abbreviation for 'Yongshu Reef Southwest Island' and is under the jurisdiction of Sansha City, Hainan Province. It serves as the seat of the Nansha District People's Government of Sansha City, Hainan Province.

Located halfway between Taiping Island and Nanwei Island, it sits at the intersection of the South China Sea central shipping lane (Hong Kong to Singapore) and the Nanhua Channel.

Yongshu Island is an artificial island created through land reclamation on the southwestern reef of Yongshu Reef, which has a total reef area of 108 square kilometers.

In the middle of the Yongshu Reef atoll, there is an oval-shaped lagoon, 12 kilometers long and about 2-5 kilometers wide, with water depths ranging from 14 to 40 meters and an area of 55 square kilometers. A large-scale port can be built here.

The land area of the artificial island portion (Yongshu Island) is 2.8 square kilometers. Since 2013, after land reclamation, the main island covers about 0.9 square kilometers and was upgraded to Yongshu Island.

Yongshu Island is the third-largest artificial island in the Nansha Islands (surpassed only by Meiji Island and Chubi Island).

It also serves as the seat of the Nansha District People's Government of Sansha City, Hainan Province, performing the functions of an administrative and military center for the Nansha District.

Yongshu Reef was originally a coral atoll. In 1988, China established a UNESCO marine observation station (Nansha Yongshu Reef Observation Station) here, and between 2014 and 2015, an artificial island was formed through sand dredging and land reclamation.

There are a large number of permanent residents on the island, including stationed officers and soldiers, engineering builders, and some fishermen, with a permanent population of about 2,000 people.

Officers and soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army are stationed on Yongshu Island, responsible for daily duties, defense, and logistical support tasks.

China has revealed the deployment of cyberspace forces on Yongshu Island as a forward combat unit of the South China Sea defense system.

In addition, the island also features a Grade II Class A hospital, staffed by medical personnel drawn from the Navy General Hospital.

Yongshu Island has completed a 3,000-meter-long large-scale airport runway, capable of taking off and landing large military and civilian aircraft; it possesses a 4,000-5,000 ton-class dock, a lighthouse, a 5G communication network, satellite communication base stations, and wide roads.

Comprehensive office buildings, a hospital, vegetable greenhouses, and other facilities have also been built on the island to meet basic living needs.

A 20-meter-thick freshwater layer was discovered beneath the coral reef of Yongshu Island, with a daily yield of 800 cubic meters and an annual freshwater replenishment of about 3.64 million cubic meters. This can meet the daily needs of about 60,000 people, solving the drinking water problem for personnel stationed on the island.

Yongshu Island, along with Meiji Island and Chubi Island, forms a triangular defensive position, strengthening China's regional control capabilities in the South China Sea.

Military facilities such as anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles, and fighter jets are deployed on the island, making it an important 'unsinkable aircraft carrier' in the South China Sea.

The explorer arrived at the dock and reported to the garrison. After receiving permission, they went ashore and delivered plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, cigarettes, and alcohol to the local garrison.

They were similarly warmly welcomed by the garrison. When Yang Qi and the others asked about the current needs of the troops,

They received an answer similar to that of the Chubi Island garrison: the cigarettes and alcohol rationed to the troops basically wouldn't last until the second month.

The cigarettes and alcohol brought by Yang Qi and his team solved their urgent need. Although it wasn't a lot, it would at least last until the supply ship arrived.

"If we come by next time, we'll definitely bring you more cigarettes and alcohol,"

Yang Qi said with a smile.

"Alright, then we thank Comrade Xiao Yang. But we can't let you pay for this out of your own pocket for nothing."

"How about this: although we can't let you fish inside the lagoon, you can fish anywhere in the sea area near the lagoon."

"Consider it our payment to you, or an advance payment for future cigarettes and alcohol."

At this point, a military leader spoke up.

Currently, civilian fishing boats are not allowed to conduct commercial or traditional fishing operations within the Yongshu Island lagoon.

The area has transitioned from a traditional fishing ground to a zone primarily for ecological protection, scientific monitoring, and military control.

Any unauthorized fishing will be seen as a violation of Chinese sovereignty and relevant maritime laws, and will be met with severe punishment.

Even for the waters surrounding the lagoon, whether fishing is allowed is up to these garrisoned troops.

Getting permission from the garrison was equivalent to being given a special privilege. In this world, privileges are what people seek; as long as you have a privilege, you can make a fortune regardless of the task.

That night, Yang Qi steered the explorer out of the dock and found a spot where the water was about 400 meters deep.

He turned on all the lights on the fishing boat, preparing to lure the fish.

Less than ten minutes after the lights were turned on, everyone saw countless schools of fish, large and small, arriving one after another.

The surface of the sea was densely packed with surface fish like Balang Fish, Mackerel, Needlefish, Barracuda, and some small miscellaneous fish whose names they didn't know. Occasionally, some Mahi-Mahi would dash past.

After everyone assembled their boat rods, they began their respective duties. Chen Sheng and Chen Lin brought over four or five boxes of frozen fish, while Wang Jinxi and Ding Kuan were busy chopping fish chunks, along with over a hundred catties of miscellaneous fish caught along the way.

Soon, a large pile of fish chunks was heaped on the deck.

Each person filled their plastic buckets and returned to their fishing spots to start chumming. One bait chain after another formed, covering the seabed from far to near.

Of course, a good portion of the chum was intercepted halfway down by Mahi-Mahi, Skipjack Tuna, Barracuda, GT, and other fish.

However, even more chum sank to the bottom, slowly attracting nearby bottom-dwelling seafood, primarily Grouper.

But the ones that got hooked first were often the predatory fish in the upper layers.

Seeing Wang Jinxi and the others being the first to pull up Mahi-Mahi and Barracuda one after another, with even a trend of continuous hooking,

The sight of the rods constantly bending under the weight of the fish made Zheng Tie and the others chuckle with wide grins.

Yang Qi was disdainful in his heart, remaining as steady as an old dog!

They really haven't seen the world. What's the use of a few more or less of these cheap fish species? He wasn't even interested in catching this kind of fish, okay?

Knowing exactly that there were too many of these fish underwater, he had already switched to large hooks and added heavier lead sinkers to start fishing for bottom-dwelling species.

"Xiao Qi, are there no fish at your spot? There are plenty of fish at mine. Do you want to come fish here?"

The Uncle beside him had just unhooked his third Barracuda. Seeing that Yang Qi's fishing rod had no reaction at all, he said with some smugness.

Yang Qi broke into a cold sweat and complained in his heart:

"No... Uncle, doesn't he know what kind of fish he's catching? I really don't know where he gets his sense of superiority from."

But he didn't dare to be disrespectful and quickly said:

"Hehehe, no need, Uncle. You catch more, I'm not in a hurry!"

At this time, Chen Sheng chimed in from the side, flattering him:

"Maternal Uncle-in-law's sea fishing skills are really getting better and better, a true expert."

...

Today, an elder in the family was hospitalized due to illness, which delayed my writing time. Please bear with me, dear readers.