Chapter 227 - 145: It May Be a Protected Animal, But It Can Still Be Weighed

Chapter 227: Chapter 145: It May Be a Protected Animal, But It Can Still Be Weighed

The boatman moved deftly, scooping up the sea bass in one motion. He lifted it aboard, removed the lure, and tossed it into the livewell.

Although there was an electronic scale on the boat, the competition only counted the single largest fish. All they had to do was pick their biggest catch of the day to be weighed that evening.

Still, this sea bass was probably only four or five pounds. There was no point in weighing it.

As long as your luck wasn’t terrible, catching a fish over ten pounds during the three-day competition shouldn’t be too difficult.

Gu Nan had landed a fish. A few other contestants had gotten lucky as well, but most were still searching for good fishing spots.

It was still early, after all. Everyone was just getting started.

The morning flew by. Gu Nan’s haul was mediocre; his biggest catch was still that first sea bass. The rest were just false kelpfish and black sea bream—all small fry. He was getting sick of reeling them in.

He fished for another hour or so and even switched to a jigging rod, hoping to attract something bigger. The result was the same: more small fish, aside from a couple of parrotfish weighing about three pounds each.

The boatman had been keeping an eye on the time. Seeing that it was already eleven in the morning, he reminded Gu Nan that it was time to head back to port.

Gu Nan couldn’t argue. He packed up his rod and headed back, curious to see what the other anglers had caught.

All the contestants had received the return-to-port notification and were heading back one after another.

Gu Nan hadn’t gone out far, so he was one of the first to return.

The moment he docked, Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao hurried over.

"How’d it go? Any good catches?"

Gu Nan shook his head. "Just one sea bass, about half a meter long. We’ll have to see how things look tonight."

"Don’t worry, it’s only the first morning. There’s still plenty of time, so take it easy," Wang Junhe said reassuringly, not seeming disappointed at all.

Just as he’d said, it was still early.

Soon, the other contestants began to arrive, including the two other members from the Fishing Is Life Club.

Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao went over to ask how they did, as was their custom, and Gu Nan tagged along to watch the excitement. One of the contestants, a man named Huang Guangxu, had pretty good luck, landing a large Japanese amberjack weighing thirteen catties.

"President Wang, President Guo, how’s it going? Any big fish?" As they were talking, a pot-bellied, smarmy-looking middle-aged man appeared, a cigar clamped between his fingers.

Gu Nan raised an eyebrow. ’Has the villain arrived?’

But Wang Junhe just walked up and gave the man a friendly punch on the arm, laughing. "What about you? Your contestants catch anything?"

Clearly, the two were friends, and seemingly very close ones at that.

The smarmy man wasn’t actually that old—only two years senior to Wang Junhe. He just looked older than his age.

He gestured to an assistant by his side, who immediately produced more cigars, expertly clipping and lighting them for Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao.

Neither Wang Junhe nor Guo Xiao usually smoked cigars, but when it came to putting on airs, who didn’t know how to play along?

Wang Junhe took a puff and exhaled slowly before speaking. "Luck was against us. No great catches, but hey, it’s still early. Plenty of time."

"But from that smug look on your face, I’m guessing you landed a big one?"

"But of course! One of my guys got lucky and pulled in a twenty-three-catty red sea bream," the man said with a smug chuckle.

A twenty-three-catty red sea bream would put him in first place for now.

Catching a fish of fifty, sixty, or even a hundred catties right off the bat was extremely rare in the coastal waters of Yangjiang Port. Twenty-three catties was definitely not a light catch.

"Whoa, a red sea bream, no less! Your guy really lucked out. Did you buy the fish off him? You’ll have to host a banquet!" Guo Xiao exclaimed, slightly taken aback. A red sea bream that large was a rare sight these days.

"But of course I—" Before the man could finish, a sudden commotion erupted down on the docks.

Their attention was drawn by the noise. Figuring a huge fish must have been brought in, everyone hurried over to see what was going on.

When they got closer, Gu Nan was stunned. It was a finless porpoise.

It was about 1.2 or 1.3 meters long. A staff member was weighing it, and the final number displayed on the scale was 57.3 kilograms—or one hundred fourteen catties and six taels.

The catch immediately vaulted the angler into first place on the leaderboard, surpassing the runner-up by more than ninety catties.

Once the weigh-in was complete, the staff immediately arranged for the release of the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise, which was still quite energetic.

It was a Class II nationally protected species. Who would dare let it die?

But Gu Nan was still baffled. "Isn’t that a protected species? How can it count in the competition?"

Wang Junhe took a drag from his cigar and exhaled. "You could say it’s an oversight on our part as the organizers. But that angler was smart. He only brought the porpoise back because it was still healthy and energetic. If it had been stressed and in poor condition, we’d probably have sent him straight to the police station."

"..." Gu Nan was speechless. "It’s just a competition. Was it worth taking such a huge risk? Shouldn’t you close this loophole?"

Wang Junhe and Guo Xiao fell into thought, but the smarmy man beside them waved a dismissive hand. "No need. We’ll just notify everyone that if they accidentally catch a protected species, their only job is to ensure its safety. If they kill it, they’ll do time and be disqualified from the competition. Nobody’s stupid enough to target these things on purpose."

’That’s true,’ Gu Nan thought. Some people might do shady things in private, but no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble so openly.

On the very first morning, someone had already landed a catch of over a hundred catties. The other contestants could feel the pressure mounting.

A fish weighing over a hundred catties was truly a rare encounter.

If the contestant who caught the porpoise had enough luck on his side, he might actually win first place with that single catch.

’Though... he won’t get the chance,’ Gu Nan thought, glancing at a card lying quietly inside his game-like inventory. He still had an ace up his sleeve, a guaranteed win.

Still, he wanted to avoid cheating if he could and compete fairly.

The club provided lunch for the contestants. Gu Nan went along to grab a bite and then found a room inside to rest.