Chapter 19
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Pujimaki
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Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 19
Karlos meticulously attached the engine and began his job. Once the boat was floating on the water, he started the engine. A low rumble echoed softly in the calm night as he sped up.
Tonight was quite bright for nighttime. The moon and stars were so clear, and there were no clouds in sight to block their brilliance. It was a great time to fish. Even the waves were calm, as there was no wind disturbing the surface of the ocean.
As the boat sped up, Karlos noticed something far ahead in the distance, glinting faintly under the moonlight.
"Hm?"
Thanks to the clear night and the reflective light of the full moon, his vision was much better than on most nights. He saw some bubbling a few meters ahead that looked unnatural and oddly concentrated.
He decided to check what was happening, guided by instinct and curiosity. As he got closer, a smile slowly formed on his face, realization blooming.
"You've got to be kidding me! Squids. A lot of them!" His voice echoed across the open water with excitement.
It was a known fact that squids were attracted to light, especially at night when they were most active and hungry.
Perhaps the squids were more active tonight because of the bright moon or maybe another factor was affecting them. Karlos wasn't sure and didn't care much to investigate. What mattered was the opportunity, and he was ready to seize it like any seasoned fisherman.
He turned on the flashlight attached to his hat and directed the beam onto the surface of the water. Holding his hand net, he stirred the water that was lit by the flashlight, creating faint ripples that danced in the light. A second later, he scooped with his net and caught three fist-sized squids, around four to five inches long. They were still squirming.
Grinning, he continued scooping without pause. With every scoop, he caught at least one squid, sometimes even two or three if he was fast enough. The squids were drawn to the light and gathered near his boat like moths to a flame.
While he focused entirely on catching them, Karlos didn't notice another boat approaching until it was very close. He only sensed its presence when it was a few meters away, the soft hum of the engine finally reaching his ears.
Karlos raised his head, shifting his gaze away from the glowing water. The change in direction broke the flashlight's beam, momentarily distracting the squids.
"Hey, Antonio! You guys are also here!"
He smiled as he recognized the boat and the people on it, despite the dim lighting.
"Yeah! We saw some bubbling around this area, so we decided to check it out. Looks like you struck gold tonight," Antonio shouted, his voice full of cheer and a hint of envy.
Antonio carefully steered the boat closer, making sure not to spook the squids with sudden movement. Judging by the grin on Karlos' face and the squids already filling his boat, he had probably caught at least a dozen kilograms, if not more.
"Haha, it's not that big yet, but it's shaping up to be a great night. Make haste, we don't know how long the squids will stay in this area," Karlos said, chuckling as he motioned for them to hurry.
"Alright!" Antonio nodded and waved back.
Antonio's boat had three people, including himself. Each one moved in sync, ready for the opportunity. Their boat was about eight meters long, a decent size for a trawler.
Unlike Karlos' boat, which had no roof and left him exposed to the sun during the day, Antonio's boat had a proper roof with lights installed. They adjusted the lights to cast a wide glowing area on the water to attract the squids.
The two boats continued fishing for squid using hand nets, dipping and lifting them with rhythmic motion. Stirring the water, then scooping quickly before the squids swam away.
Karlos had no problem sharing the location with other boats. He wasn't a selfish person. He didn't own the ocean, nor did he believe in hoarding luck. Besides, Antonio was a kind man who had helped him more than once. He had even given Karlos advice on catching crabs when he was just starting out.
"We planned to go farther out to deeper waters where bigger fish roam, but I guess we don't have to anymore. This spot turned out great. These squids are enough to meet our quota," Antonio said with a hearty smile.
Antonio laughed, and so did the other two men who were already scooping with their nets. Karlos nodded in agreement, a proud smirk on his face. He looked at his catch and realized that a third of the boat was already filled with squid. The smell of the ocean now mingled with a faint scent of ink.
An hour later, the squids slowly began to disperse. The fishermen groaned as they stretched their sore shoulders, which had grown stiff from the repetitive motion.
An hour of scooping was tiring, it made their arms feel heavy. But it was the kind of exhaustion they didn't mind. It meant they had worked for something worthwhile. Every scoop was worth money.
After all, the price of squid was about 80 pesos per kilogram in their town, sometimes reaching 100 pesos when demand was strong. The squids they caught were about five inches long, small-sized, but still good enough to sell quickly. If the squids were bigger, they could sell them for around 120 pesos per kilogram to premium buyers.
Once the squids were gone and the water had gone still again, the two boats went in opposite directions. Antonio's boat was a trawler, equipped for long-distance travel, usually venturing farther to catch better fish in deeper waters. As for Karlos, he had to head to the mangroves where his crab traps were waiting.
Even though the day was just starting, he already felt satisfied with the catch.
"I probably caught about 20 kilograms at the least... No wonder my shoulders are aching," he muttered.
Even now, his arms were shaking as he held the steering handle.
It was about 4 a.m. when he reached the mangroves. Some boats were already there, but none lingered in his territory thanks to the mutual understanding among the fishermen.
Since he had recovered the traps and returned them to their original spots the previous day, Karlos didn't have trouble locating them. The tricky part was opening the traps while making sure the crabs wouldn't escape or pinch him with their claws. He had been pinched before, and it was painful enough to make him scream. There was even a time when he thought his pinky finger would be cut off because a crab refused to let go. He had to use force and pliers to save his finger after a desperate struggle.
Just like yesterday, Karlos caught crabs and big tiger prawns that couldn't escape the traps.
"Let's see, this crab has eggs, so I have to let it go." He gently released it back into the water.
Fishermen who trapped crabs in their region followed unwritten rules and code ethics that most of them respected. If they caught a crab that was laying eggs, they had to set it free to ensure the species would continue to thrive. Some fishermen secretly ignored this rule, eating crabs with eggs for short-term satisfaction.
Karlos had no respect for those kinds of people. He considered them greedy. Crabs weren't endangered, but if everyone caught the egg-laying ones, their livelihood would eventually suffer. Thankfully, nearly every fisherman in these mangroves agreed with him and practiced sustainable fishing.
After throwing back the crabs with eggs and completing his check of every trap, Karlos sailed back to town with his catch safely stored.
The crabs and prawns he caught today were fewer than yesterday's haul, but it was still a decent catch and Karlos didn't mind.
"I have to make four more traps this week," he reminded himself as he adjusted the steering.
Fifteen crab traps were the ideal number for his territory. Any more would overcrowd the area and make crabs avoid it.
As he sailed back, a soft breeze brushed against his face. Karlos squinted as the rising sun's reflection hit his eyes, it was slightly blinding. Maybe he should buy sunglasses to protect his vision while at sea.
The travel was smooth, with barely any resistance from the waves. The boat moved steadily. When he reached the fish port, he was a bit surprised to see it was only 6 a.m., unlike yesterday, when he arrived around 7:30 a.m.
He hadn't spent much time finding his traps today, having memorized their positions. That made him faster and more efficient.
As for scooping the squids, it balanced out the time he had spent netting mullet yesterday.
Karlos meticulously attached the engine and began his job. Once the boat was floating on the water, he started the engine. A low rumble echoed softly in the calm night as he sped up.
Tonight was quite bright for nighttime. The moon and stars were so clear, and there were no clouds in sight to block their brilliance. It was a great time to fish. Even the waves were calm, as there was no wind disturbing the surface of the ocean.
As the boat sped up, Karlos noticed something far ahead in the distance, glinting faintly under the moonlight.
"Hm?"
Thanks to the clear night and the reflective light of the full moon, his vision was much better than on most nights. He saw some bubbling a few meters ahead that looked unnatural and oddly concentrated.
He decided to check what was happening, guided by instinct and curiosity. As he got closer, a smile slowly formed on his face, realization blooming.
"You've got to be kidding me! Squids. A lot of them!" His voice echoed across the open water with excitement.
It was a known fact that squids were attracted to light, especially at night when they were most active and hungry.
Perhaps the squids were more active tonight because of the bright moon or maybe another factor was affecting them. Karlos wasn't sure and didn't care much to investigate. What mattered was the opportunity, and he was ready to seize it like any seasoned fisherman.
He turned on the flashlight attached to his hat and directed the beam onto the surface of the water. Holding his hand net, he stirred the water that was lit by the flashlight, creating faint ripples that danced in the light. A second later, he scooped with his net and caught three fist-sized squids, around four to five inches long. They were still squirming.
Grinning, he continued scooping without pause. With every scoop, he caught at least one squid, sometimes even two or three if he was fast enough. The squids were drawn to the light and gathered near his boat like moths to a flame.
While he focused entirely on catching them, Karlos didn't notice another boat approaching until it was very close. He only sensed its presence when it was a few meters away, the soft hum of the engine finally reaching his ears.
Karlos raised his head, shifting his gaze away from the glowing water. The change in direction broke the flashlight's beam, momentarily distracting the squids.
"Hey, Antonio! You guys are also here!"
He smiled as he recognized the boat and the people on it, despite the dim lighting.
"Yeah! We saw some bubbling around this area, so we decided to check it out. Looks like you struck gold tonight," Antonio shouted, his voice full of cheer and a hint of envy.
Antonio carefully steered the boat closer, making sure not to spook the squids with sudden movement. Judging by the grin on Karlos' face and the squids already filling his boat, he had probably caught at least a dozen kilograms, if not more.
"Haha, it's not that big yet, but it's shaping up to be a great night. Make haste, we don't know how long the squids will stay in this area," Karlos said, chuckling as he motioned for them to hurry.
"Alright!" Antonio nodded and waved back.
Antonio's boat had three people, including himself. Each one moved in sync, ready for the opportunity. Their boat was about eight meters long, a decent size for a trawler.
Unlike Karlos' boat, which had no roof and left him exposed to the sun during the day, Antonio's boat had a proper roof with lights installed. They adjusted the lights to cast a wide glowing area on the water to attract the squids.
The two boats continued fishing for squid using hand nets, dipping and lifting them with rhythmic motion. Stirring the water, then scooping quickly before the squids swam away.
Karlos had no problem sharing the location with other boats. He wasn't a selfish person. He didn't own the ocean, nor did he believe in hoarding luck. Besides, Antonio was a kind man who had helped him more than once. He had even given Karlos advice on catching crabs when he was just starting out.
"We planned to go farther out to deeper waters where bigger fish roam, but I guess we don't have to anymore. This spot turned out great. These squids are enough to meet our quota," Antonio said with a hearty smile.
Antonio laughed, and so did the other two men who were already scooping with their nets. Karlos nodded in agreement, a proud smirk on his face. He looked at his catch and realized that a third of the boat was already filled with squid. The smell of the ocean now mingled with a faint scent of ink.
An hour later, the squids slowly began to disperse. The fishermen groaned as they stretched their sore shoulders, which had grown stiff from the repetitive motion.
An hour of scooping was tiring, it made their arms feel heavy. But it was the kind of exhaustion they didn't mind. It meant they had worked for something worthwhile. Every scoop was worth money.
After all, the price of squid was about 80 pesos per kilogram in their town, sometimes reaching 100 pesos when demand was strong. The squids they caught were about five inches long, small-sized, but still good enough to sell quickly. If the squids were bigger, they could sell them for around 120 pesos per kilogram to premium buyers.
Once the squids were gone and the water had gone still again, the two boats went in opposite directions. Antonio's boat was a trawler, equipped for long-distance travel, usually venturing farther to catch better fish in deeper waters. As for Karlos, he had to head to the mangroves where his crab traps were waiting.
Even though the day was just starting, he already felt satisfied with the catch.
"I probably caught about 20 kilograms at the least... No wonder my shoulders are aching," he muttered.
Even now, his arms were shaking as he held the steering handle.
It was about 4 a.m. when he reached the mangroves. Some boats were already there, but none lingered in his territory thanks to the mutual understanding among the fishermen.
Since he had recovered the traps and returned them to their original spots the previous day, Karlos didn't have trouble locating them. The tricky part was opening the traps while making sure the crabs wouldn't escape or pinch him with their claws. He had been pinched before, and it was painful enough to make him scream. There was even a time when he thought his pinky finger would be cut off because a crab refused to let go. He had to use force and pliers to save his finger after a desperate struggle.
Just like yesterday, Karlos caught crabs and big tiger prawns that couldn't escape the traps.
"Let's see, this crab has eggs, so I have to let it go." He gently released it back into the water.
Fishermen who trapped crabs in their region followed unwritten rules and code ethics that most of them respected. If they caught a crab that was laying eggs, they had to set it free to ensure the species would continue to thrive. Some fishermen secretly ignored this rule, eating crabs with eggs for short-term satisfaction.
Karlos had no respect for those kinds of people. He considered them greedy. Crabs weren't endangered, but if everyone caught the egg-laying ones, their livelihood would eventually suffer. Thankfully, nearly every fisherman in these mangroves agreed with him and practiced sustainable fishing.
After throwing back the crabs with eggs and completing his check of every trap, Karlos sailed back to town with his catch safely stored.
The crabs and prawns he caught today were fewer than yesterday's haul, but it was still a decent catch and Karlos didn't mind.
"I have to make four more traps this week," he reminded himself as he adjusted the steering.
Fifteen crab traps were the ideal number for his territory. Any more would overcrowd the area and make crabs avoid it.
As he sailed back, a soft breeze brushed against his face. Karlos squinted as the rising sun's reflection hit his eyes, it was slightly blinding. Maybe he should buy sunglasses to protect his vision while at sea.
The travel was smooth, with barely any resistance from the waves. The boat moved steadily. When he reached the fish port, he was a bit surprised to see it was only 6 a.m., unlike yesterday, when he arrived around 7:30 a.m.
He hadn't spent much time finding his traps today, having memorized their positions. That made him faster and more efficient.
As for scooping the squids, it balanced out the time he had spent netting mullet yesterday.
