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墨書 Inktalez
Hearing this, Shui Laoban chuckled as he was reeling in his catch. "You said it! We all heard you. If it weighs five pounds, we’ll gather around to watch you eat that fish!"
He was aware of the fish's size, even if he pretended otherwise. Judging by its strength, it certainly seemed to weigh around five pounds. However, when the fish broke the surface, his smile froze.
A Mouse Grouper! A wild Mouse Grouper! With a net in hand, Shui Bi Zhang quickly scooped it up and shouted loudly!
Mouse Grouper is quite common in high-end restaurants, priced at four to five hundred yuan per pound, which is reasonable for farmed fish.
But wild Mouse Grouper is a rarity, and its price is exorbitant; a fish this size would cost at least one to two thousand yuan per pound!
As the fish was brought aboard, Shui Laoban used a Control Fish Tool to unhook it and glanced at the scale—five pounds and two ounces!
"Come take a look! Five pounds and two ounces! Now let’s see your performance!" he said with a grin, while Shui Bi Zhang instinctively pulled out his phone to take a picture.
Staring at the Mouse Grouper in Shui Laoban's hands, Shi Tian pursed his lips. "Five pounds and two ounces? That fish is worth over ten thousand yuan! We can’t let it go to waste!"
Shi Tian was indeed interested in eating Mouse Grouper. If it were an ordinary fish, he wouldn’t think twice about it. But a fish worth thousands of yuan made him hesitate.
If he had caught it himself, it would be different; after all, this was Shui Laoban's catch!
"How much? Over ten thousand for this fish? Did it grow up eating gold?" The price that Shi Tian mentioned shocked Old Zhang, who was listening nearby.
To casually catch a fish worth thousands? Why even run a shop then? Just fishing full-time would be more profitable!
This price surprised only Old Zhang and Sun Lang, who were novices at fishing. Among the three, Shui Laoban and Shui Bi Zhang, who fished daily, understood the rarity of such fish well. Even Chang Guadi, with fishing experience comparable to Shui Bi Zhang, knew the ins and outs of these matters.
Among them, Shi Tian was also quite skilled; however, since this was his livelihood, he needed to stay informed. He hadn’t been checking various fishing tutorials online lately, so he wasn’t fully aware of the value of rare species. After all, when a fisherman catches such high-end fish, they tend to show off immediately.
The Mouse Grouper primarily inhabits the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. In China, they can only be caught in places like Hainan and Guangdong, where their numbers are scarce. The chances of encountering them near the shore are even slimmer.
"Shui Laoban, catching one of the Four Great Fish Kings is something you can brag about for life!" After taking a glance at the fish in Shui Laoban's hands, Chang Guadi also wanted a photo.
The Four Great Fish Kings include the Mouse Grouper, followed by the Su Mei Fish, the Azure Emperor Fish, and the Sea Red Spot.
Catching one of the Four Great Fish Kings is indeed something that would allow Shui Laoban to boast for quite some time. If he shared this photo in their group chat, within an hour, this fishing spot would be swarmed!
Fortunately, this fish wasn’t caught in Guangdong territory; otherwise, it would be considered a protected species! After taking pictures, Shui Bi Zhang casually remarked while enviously watching as Shui Laoban carefully placed the fish into a Fish Bucket.
The Four Great Fish Kings include species like the Su Mei Fish and the Azure Emperor Fish, both of which are national-level protected animals; however, only wild ones are protected—farmed ones don’t count. The Mouse Grouper is also a protected species but hasn’t reached national status yet; it's only listed for protection at the provincial level in Guangdong. Therefore, it can still be caught and eaten in places like Sanya.
The provincial protection list refers to species whose numbers are declining but are still relatively common in certain areas—like wild boars—which may need protection in some regions while being overpopulated in others where forestry departments may organize culling efforts.
Aside from the Sea Red Spot, almost all of the Four Great Fish Kings are protected. The Mouse Grouper here is not protected, and its numbers are also low; those who manage to catch one are truly lucky.
Below the Four Great Fish Kings, there are the Eastern Star Grouper and Tiger Snapper. These species are also on the national protection list, so if you catch one, you must return it to Hai Li. If you don't comply, it might give you a couple of slaps with its tail, and you'd be left with nothing but pain.
The Tiger Snapper is quite delicious, but it carries a toxin that cannot be neutralized by high temperatures. If you want to eat it, you must clean out its head and internal organs thoroughly! However, the toxicity affects some people while others seem immune; it's unclear whether it's due to the individuals or the fish itself.
Then there are the Yellowlip Fish and Chinese Sturgeon. Although they may appear to be sold openly, they are on a first-level protection list. If you catch one and take it home for a hot bath, you could end up spending several years in confinement!
Don't be fooled into thinking that Chinese Sturgeon are plentiful; what’s sold in the market is mostly farmed stock, often hybrids of Shi Sturgeon and Siberian Sturgeon. While it’s not exactly an invasive species since Baikal Lake belongs to us, it has been taken away by others, and we will reclaim it sooner or later. We must recognize any fish that comes from there; perhaps even Su Wu ate some when he was herding sheep.
The reason I bring this up is that Shui Bi Zhang wants these people to understand that while these fish are rare, they haven't crossed into illegal territory yet.
Fishing isn't just about dragging a fish up with a rod; some fish can be pulled in while others cannot be handled carelessly. Especially here in Hainan, there are twenty to thirty unique saltwater fish species; you never know when you'll encounter one that’s not worth messing with.
"I'm not letting this fish go; I'm taking it home to raise!" Closing the fish bucket, Shui Laoban flaunted toward Shi Tian, picked up his rod, baited it with a live shrimp, and cast it out. He hoped to catch a couple more big fish while his luck was still holding.
Shui Laoban cast his line while Old Zhang and Shui Bi Zhang followed suit, making Shi Tian envious from the side.
Running back to the shop, Su Xueyi had prepared the rod for him.
"Boss, I've set up the rod with a main line and leader line using a size hook. If you think it's too small, we can switch hooks!" Seeing Shi Tian approach, Su Xueyi quickly handed him the prepared rod.
Reef fishing typically requires smaller hooks; usually a size hook is sufficient since there aren't that many large fish along the coast. Shi Tian wanted a larger hook, so Su Xueyi provided him with one that would easily handle fish weighing over ten pounds.
It seemed Su Xueyi had studied last night; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to choose the right hook so accurately. Shi Tian had told her the model of the rod and line setup but hadn’t mentioned the hook size—just a little test for her. He was quite satisfied with her response.
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