Chapter 29

Handing the net over to Ding Yi, Ye Yuan took the empty net and returned to the water.

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Ye Yuan came to the seabed again. Not far away, a lobster was lying on the sand. Just as he was about to go over, he saw a very ugly stone moving, which scared him into taking a few steps back, staring warily at the stone.

After a careful look, he realized it wasn't a stone at all, but a type of fish, with skin like a rusty toad, making people instinctively not want to get close.

This is the stonefish, also known as the tiger fish. Many fishermen call it the toad fish. It is one of the most toxic fish in the sea, usually about 30 cm long, and likes to hide on the seabed or under rocks, camouflaging itself as an unremarkable stone.

If someone accidentally steps on it, it will not hesitate to counterattack, releasing a lethal poison. It has 12-14 needle-like dorsal spines that can easily pierce through the sole of a shoe and into the foot, causing rapid poisoning and intense pain until death.

Although the stonefish is ugly, its flesh is tender and free of fine bones, with high nutritional value. It also has medicinal benefits for lung health, and in recent years, some people have claimed that stonefish can have beautifying effects.

The swim bladder of the stonefish, when dried and processed into fish maw, is used to make soup. It is smooth and delicious, comparable to high-quality shark fin and bird's nest.

The spines of the stonefish are toxic, and extra care must be taken when handling it. Most people find it difficult to deal with the toxins, and chefs in restaurants need specialized training to prepare this dish. If the toxic spines are not completely removed and the stonefish is eaten, it can cause swelling and, in severe cases, convulsions and fainting.

A glint of excitement flashed in Ye Yuan's eyes as he thought, "This time, I've hit the jackpot." He held the net, opened the net's mouth, and quietly approached, slowly herding the stonefish into the net and carefully lifting it up. This stonefish weighed about 7-8 pounds, which was relatively rare; usually, 2-3 pound ones are more common.

Ye Yuan wasn't very clear about the price of the stonefish, as the prices of such rare seafood can fluctuate greatly.

Climbing back onto the fishing boat, Ye Yuan carefully placed the stonefish on the deck.

"Be careful, don't touch it, it's toxic," Ye Yuan warned when he saw Lao Er reaching out to touch the fish.

Ye Yuan took a sip of the mineral water Ding Yi handed him, then took a bamboo fish cage and went back into the water. In his perception, he had already discovered several more stonefish, though not as large as the previous one, they were still not small.

The colorful underwater world was like a treasure trove to Ye Yuan. After an hour of continuous fishing in this area, the boat was already filled with lobsters and crabs, and he had caught over thirty stonefish.

Ye Yuan and the crew members took turns resting.

Ye Yuan went back into the water again, wanting to explore a bit further. This area, perhaps due to its infrequent human presence, was rich in fish.

The water here was very clean and clear, with a vast expanse of sand and no seaweed. The fine sand stretched as far as the eye could see.

Ye Yuan casually caught a small fish with bright colors. He wasn't very interested in these small, low-value fish, so he released it. The small fish immediately swam away in fear, quickly disappearing from Ye Yuan's sight.

Ye Yuan paid no attention to the small fish around him. In the sea, as long as he didn't encounter large predatory fish, there were few things that could threaten him.

Ye Yuan swam aimlessly through the underwater world.

"Hmm? Something seems to be moving under the sand," Ye Yuan observed carefully.

After a moment, Ye Yuan could see clearly that it was a large diamond turbot.

The diamond turbot is a bottom-dwelling fish that usually floats little. It is docile, with a flat, diamond-shaped body and both eyes on the left side of its head. The space between the eyes is flat and wide.

Its body is scaleless, with a dark greenish-brown back, and black and brown patterns are faintly visible. Its most distinctive feature is its ability to change its color to match its environment. The underside is smooth and white, without scales.

The diamond turbot has short, blunt teeth. There is a bow-shaped curve above the pectoral fin, and both the head and tail fin are small. The body has no small spines except for the central axis bone. The middle part of the body is thick, and the internal organs are small, making it a high-yield fish. It is one of the most common economic fish.

Many seafood merchants, to make it more appealing, call it the "many-treasure fish."

Most diamond turbots in the market are farmed, with prices dropping to 15-20 yuan per pound. Wild diamond turbots are still in high demand, and many high-end hotels prefer to use them in their dishes.

The number of diamond turbots here was astonishing. Ye Yuan made a rough estimate: this area of sand was filled with diamond turbots, with at least a few hundred tons.

Back on the boat, Ye Yuan instructed the crew to prepare the trawl net. Ding Yi quickly maneuvered the boat to the designated position. As the trawl net slowly sank to the seabed, the boat felt a significant increase in resistance. After half an hour, they began to haul in the net. The crane lifted a large net full of diamond turbots, each weighing about 3 pounds, with the larger ones reaching 5 pounds.

The diamond turbots were unloaded onto the deck, and the net was lowered again.

All the crew members were busy, and with six crew members, three more than the last time, plus Ye Yuan and Lao Er, the eight of them quickly moved the diamond turbots to the cold storage.

Just as they finished tidying up the deck, the second net was already up. They trawled three times in this area, and Ye Yuan then ordered a break, as everyone was exhausted.

A rough estimate showed that these three trawls had yielded about 20 tons of diamond turbots. At the lowest price of 20 yuan per pound, the income from these three trawls was nearly 800,000 yuan.

Lao Er was so exhausted that he didn't want to move, lying directly on the deck. "Lao Si, I see what you're doing. I won't go out to sea with you again; it's too tiring." He lit a cigarette and smoked it.

Ye Yuan, also exhausted, struggled to pull Lao Er up.

"Don't rest here. Go to the rest room, take a good shower, and have a good sleep," he said, then walked back to the cabin.

Ye Yuan and the others returned to the cabin to rest, while the crew members continued to clean the deck.

There was a lot of marine debris on the deck. Don't assume the ocean is clean; in fact, many people don't know that some fishing boats often bring back more garbage than fish. Fishermen generally do not throw garbage back into the sea but bring it back to land for disposal, which increases their workload at sea.

According to some data, the marine debris in the Pacific Ocean alone covers over 3 million square kilometers, exceeding the land area of some countries. In the Pacific, there is a plastic-dominated "marine garbage patch" the size of Texas. If this continues, the ocean will not be able to bear it. At that time, fishermen will really have no fish to catch.

PS: Thank you, 08a, for the tip, and thank you to all the friends who support me.