Chen Yuan.

Crew members of distant-water fishing vessels.

Eight years ago, Chen Yuan, who graduated from high school, was not admitted to university, went to Guangdong to work, and was introduced to a deep-sea fishing company......

Then I spent a few months at the Maritime Academy, got my crew certificate, and went to the open sea.

That's seven years.

……

During the Chinese New Year this year, fishing boat 091 stopped in an unknown bay in Antarctica.

A large bay, without wind or waves, quieter than the equatorial windless zone. The deep blue water is as calm as the surface of a lake.

After seven years at sea, such a spectacle is also rare.

All the crew came to the deck, beer, seafood, bacon, and fish meatballs.

It is a distant-water fishing vessel of more than 200 tons, mainly off the coast of Chile, and occasionally goes to Antarctic waters to fish for krill.

The calm bay is home to more than a dozen fishing boats, as well as a mother boat.

As soon as Chen Yuan woke up, Zhou Sheng moved a stool for him: "Hurry up, I'll wait for you." ”

"I finally had a good weather, and I was sleepy and died." Chen Yuan walked over.

"You've been sleeping for more than ten hours."

Chen Yuan sat down and took the beer handed by Zhou Sheng.

"Today's food was really good." Chen Yuan took a piece of pork belly and chewed it, the fat was mellow, as if it was the taste of his hometown.

"How does it taste?" The captain looked at Chen Yuan and said with a smile.

Chen Yuan gave a thumbs up and said bitterly: "I miss home." ”

"Hahaha......" everyone laughed.

This smile is somewhat lonely.

The big bay of Antarctica, you can see the land of Antarctica, white, a little dazzling in the sun's rays.

The sky was low, like a pot lid pressed against the top of the head.

The sea is blue and the sky is cloudy. The clouds are reflected in the calm sea, making it difficult to tell whether you are in the sky or the sea......

"Here, touch one." The ship's mate raised his beer and shouted.

More than a dozen crew members raised their beers and took a big sip.

Deep-going fishing vessels like theirs, which follow their mother ships, usually only dock once in half a year. Beer, which is a luxury on board.

"During the Chinese New Year this year, I didn't prepare rice balls, and I used fishing boats instead of rice balls, so everyone ate a few more." The captain served fish balls to everyone in turn.

Eat and drink enough, according to the local time, it should be past eight o'clock by now.

The sun is still hanging in the sky......

Antarctica's current sunshine is sixteen or seventeen hours long. It's still very early until dark......

The captain also prepared other entertainment, and when he heard the news on the radio, he came out with a shocked face: "Guys, the krill wall has been found outside the bay, and it is ready to set sail." ”

Everyone was cheered up.

Chen Yuan was too, and immediately became energetic and shouted, "Prepare to pull the net." ”

Krill Wall means that krill gather together and look like a wall from the bottom of the sea.

That's hundreds of millions, billions, billions, or even more krill.

Usually you can have a bumper harvest when you encounter a school of krill, and the krill wall is a legend...... It's hard to find.

Chen Yuan has been an ocean-going crew member for seven years, and has four years of experience in krill fishing in Antarctic waters, and has only encountered a krill wall once.

When encountering a krill wall, one day's harvest is equivalent to half a month's harvest in normal times.

Chen Yuan: These crew members have a basic salary, plus a commission.

With Chen Yuan's ship age, the basic salary is only 8,500 yuan a month. But this commission is high. Moreover, he has additional subsidies, as well as bonuses. His salary is much higher than that of a first-class captain.

Chen Yuan's highest income month, with a monthly salary of 370,000 yuan, was the month when he encountered the krill wall in two years.

Fifteen other fishing boats also learned of the presence of a krill wall outside, and all the fishing boats moved.

In a normal year, the situation is better, plus the ship is older, if the situation is good in a year, four or five hundred thousand yuan. The situation is worse, two or three hundred thousand.

This is the treatment of the ordinary crew of their ship, and Chen Yuan's treatment is much higher. Although he was just an ordinary crew member......

Chen Yuan: Their fleet comes from the same company, Anhe Ocean Fishing Co., Ltd.

Mainly off the coast of Chile, in the waters of Antarctica, in the South Pacific Ocean...... These areas are fished.

After getting on the ship, it is very normal to not get off the ship for a year or two. Most of the people who come to work here are in trouble and cornered.

The salary is good, but this ...... Desperate for everything.

Going out to the bay, Chen Yuan received a notice from the ship's mate and shouted, "Get out of the net." ”

"Go to the net." Zhou Sheng answered.

Two crew members in their forties picked up knives and cut the ropes. After the fishing net entered the sea, more than 100 meters of rope were put on it......

The fishing boat had only traveled five or six kilometers before the ship's mate gave the order to start collecting the nets.

The fishing boat stopped, and Chen Yuan and Zhou Bai turned on the winch machine and took the fishing net back.

The nets were hoisted up and landed on the deck.

The ship's mate hurriedly ran out of the wheelhouse: "How many?" ”

"More than ten tons." Chen Yuan couldn't help but cheer.

The first mate waved his hand vigorously and shouted with a walkie-talkie: "Big harvest." ”

Chen Yuan untied the fishing net, and the krill went directly into the cabin.

Chen Yuan grabbed some krill scattered on the splint and looked at it: "The quality is average......

"Not bad." Zhou Sheng said and shouted: "Prepare to go to the net again." ”

The price difference between different quality krill is very large.

The quality of this batch of krill is probably medium to high. Such krill, a ton...... The workers of their fishing boats can get about 1,000 yuan.

But they can't stand more, and they can get more than 10,000 in one net. On average, it's about 1,000 yuan per person......

It's just a net.

The nets were re-tied, and the nets were lowered into the sea and taken off again.

Krill walls, also known as super krill colonies, are huge.

The hold of their fishing boat can hold more than 300 tons, and it can be caught to heart's content.

It's already dark.

The sea has beautiful fluorescence, and the endless fluorescence is like entering a dream world.

Chen Yuan leaned on the guardrail, looked at the sea, and remembered the blue ocean in 'Life of Pi'......

The ocean is glowing, which is why countless krill are clustered. At night, krill will glow.

It was late at night, and the fishing boats were full of harvest.

Fishing boats are returning to the bay one after another to hand over their catches.

The name of the mother ship is 'Fishing Base Boat'.

Their company's fishing base vessel is one of the most advanced base vessels in China.

The mother ship has a large ship in the fleet that supports the entire fleet to carry out fishing operations, catch processing, storage and transportation for a long time, as well as replenish the fleet's daily necessities, fishing supplies and provide various repairs, as well as provide crew for rotational rest, cultural entertainment and medical facilities.

The fishing boat approaches the mother ship and hoists the harvested krill onto it. Then continue with the job......

The endless sea surface is scattered with phosphorescence, like an upside-down galaxy.

The sea is calm as if it has entered an equatorial windless channel......

Beautiful, mysterious and eerie.

Working on a ship late at night was very dangerous, and the ship's employees began their shifts.

Super krill swarm, hard to find, although tired, but no one wants to give up.

Chen Yuan, Zhou Sheng, and two less experienced crew members were responsible for the netting. The cabin is on duty for two...... Now the person who directs the operation is the captain.

The first mate and the rest of the crew have gone to rest, and the shift will not be changed until tomorrow morning.

Two more nets were lowered, and the calm sea shook.

The sea was rippling, and after a while, I felt a noticeable sea breeze.

The waves rose quickly, and the wind came.

"Captain, the last net, I feel like I'm going to return to the bay." Chen Yuan said: "There may be big waves, notify the fleet, and go back to the bay as soon as possible." ”

"The mother ship was notified that it was a force 5 wind, and there were no strong winds and waves......"

"I feel bad." Chen Yuan has four years of experience in Antarctic waters, and his qualifications are not very old, but he has good intuition.

Over the years, relying on Chen Yuan's intuition, the income of their boat is much higher than that of other fishing boats. The captain and Chen Yuan have been fishing together for seven years, and in these seven years, relying on Chen Yuan's accurate intuitive judgment, their fishing boat has avoided risks again and again.

Intuition is a subtle thing. But it's very strange, Chen Yuan's intuition is very accurate......

Chen Yuan's feeling became worse and worse, and he became more and more depressed about the bumpy fishing boat: "Hurry up and close the net." ”

"What's wrong?" Zhou Sheng came over and said.

Chen Yuan shook his head: "The bad feeling has appeared again. ”

"Quickly close the net." Zhou Sheng shouted.