Xiang Yang is now considered an experienced captain.
The catch in the fishing net can be roughly predicted by the degree of back force of the fishing boat.
However, most of the Antarctic fish are very precious, and success cannot be judged solely by the quantity. For example, if you drag back a hundred tons of Antarctic krill, it is only worth that much money. But if it is Antarctic icefish, as long as you can catch a few thousand kilograms, the trip will be worthwhile.
This is also the reason why Xiang Yang insists on using large mesh nets to fish. Although the amount of fish caught is small, a large amount of krill is filtered out, and the quality of the remaining fish will definitely be improved.
Soon, the fishing net was pulled up.
It has to be said that the krill resources in Antarctica are really abundant. Even though Xiang Yang used a large-mesh fishing net, after the net was put on the deck, there were still thousands of kilograms of krill in the net.
In addition, there are also many marine creatures such as squids, and there are also two ice fish.
In addition to krill, the most numerous species in the net is a small fish that is about six or seven centimeters long, with a grayish black back, a white belly, and transparent gray fins.
"This looks like an Antarctic toothless lionfish, right?" Chen Qingsheng grabbed one and asked Xiang Yang.
"Yes." Xiang Yang nodded. "It is a very rare species among a very common species. This fish is a bottom-dwelling fish in Antarctica. It can usually be sold for three or four hundred yuan per pound in restaurants. However, this fish is poisonous, so be careful when you clean it."
The Antarctic toothless lionfish is a type of lionfish. It generally lives at a depth of 60 meters underwater and can reach a maximum depth of 500 meters below the seabed. Although it is not large in size, it is indeed a very ferocious carnivorous fish. Its meat is as crystal clear as snow after being cooked and melts in the mouth. It is a very precious Antarctic seafood delicacy.
"Let's spread out the catch with a harpoon first, and then we can clean it up," Xiang Yang said.
Chen Qingsheng nodded immediately. Before cleaning the catch, he would first use a harpoon to pick it apart. This was already a common practice on Xiang Yang's boat. The main purpose was to confirm that there were no dangerous marine creatures hidden in the catch.
Several crew members, holding fish rakes with extra-long handles, pushed the pile of catch.
One of the crew members pushed a few times, but it didn't move.
Just as he was about to walk over to take a look out of curiosity, the pile of fish suddenly moved on its own, and a gray-white dog head with a red face emerged from the krill pile, and then looked at the crew member with a foolish smile.
The crew member was so frightened that he immediately took a few steps back, "Sea, seal."
"Don't be afraid." Xiang Yang held the crew member's shoulder and shouted to the rioting crew members around him: "This is not a leopard seal, it is a Wilde seal, it will not attack people."
Xiang Yang shouted several times, and the crew gradually calmed down.
It’s no wonder the crew were so scared.
Previously, when they were on the ice floe, the fleet encountered a leopard seal, which was very ferocious.
Now they are on the deck and they don’t have gas tanks. If they are attacked by seals, it will be no joke.
Xiang Yang comforted the crew members and said, "The Wilde seal is a very cute species in Antarctica. Generally speaking, they will not attack humans."
In fact, the appearance of the Wilde's seal is very similar to that of the leopard seal, but its nose is shorter than that of the leopard seal and its body is much smaller.
"It's really strange. We dragged the net for more than an hour this time, but this Wilde's seal didn't drown." Chen Qingsheng said very puzzled.
Xiang Yang smiled and said, "If it had been a little longer, it would have drowned. But how do you know it was caught in the net just as we cast it, and not accidentally fell into the net when we were about to raise it?"
The Wilde's seal is the most capable diver of all seal species. It can dive to a depth of 700 meters underwater and can dive for up to 70 minutes.
"Dig it out of the krill." Xiang Yang ordered.
"Yes, Captain."
The crew took immediate action and quickly dragged the Wilde's seal out of the krill pile.
The Wilde seal didn't seem to be afraid of humans at all.
After being dug out of the krill pile by the crew, it did not run away or hide. Instead, it lay on its back on the deck, holding the fork of a harpoon tightly with its two front fins and refusing to let go, just like a kitten acting coquettishly to humans.
"Captain, what?" The crewman was afraid of hurting the Wilde seal and was a little at a loss as to what to do with the harpoon.
Xiang Yang bent down, picked up a squid weighing about one pound from the pile of fish, and handed it to the Wilde seal.
The Wilde's seal immediately let go of the harpoon and held the squid with its front flippers, but did not eat it. Instead, it looked at Xiang Yang with a silly look on its face.
Xiang Yang sighed, "This Wilde seal won't live long."
"What do you mean?" Chen Qingsheng was shocked. "Is it because we dragged it on the seabed for too long and damaged its lungs?"
"No." Xiang Yang shook his head. The round body of a general Wilde seal is synonymous with cuteness and bloat.
Although this Wilde's seal is cute, its body is not bloated at all. It is obvious that it has not eaten for a long time.
"Look at its mouth." Xiang Yang pried open the mouth of the Wilde seal.
At first, the Wilde's seal shook its head and avoided Xiang Yang's hands, but after being comforted by Xiang Yang, it immediately opened its mouth obediently.
Chen Qingsheng lowered his head to look inside the mouth of the Wilde seal and immediately said in disbelief, "How could this happen?"
It turns out that the teeth of this Wilde's seal have almost completely melted, and only a few broken teeth can be seen in the rotten gums.
"The Wilde's seals are very strange. They love diving. Each time they dive, they can dive for 20 to 30 minutes, and sometimes even up to 70 minutes. There's nothing wrong with liking diving, but the Wilde's seals particularly like the cold. Once they go under the water, they particularly like to swim under the ice, and they can't control their diving time. When they are under the ice and need to breathe, they are trapped under the ice. They can only bite the ice in big mouthfuls, bite a hole in the ice, and then breathe. If they bite too much, or if the ice is too thick, they will become like this." Xiang Yang shrugged.
Xiang Yang once watched a documentary in which a Wilde's seal was suffocating under a meter-thick block of ice. It could only bite the ice desperately. In the end, its mouth was worn and its teeth were flattened. Although it escaped from under the ice, it could no longer eat. Within just two weeks, the chubby Wilde's seal became extremely emaciated and starved to death on the ice.
Xiang Yang silently looked at the head of the Weddell seal. "Actually, this Weddell seal is quite lucky. At least it got out from under the ice. Many Weddell seals were suffocated to death under the ice due to lack of oxygen and exhaustion before they could bite through the ice."