At noon on August 5th, the sound of fishing boat horns and firecrackers echoed through Xiangshan Shipu Port. Under the Tongwamen Bridge, a long-awaited fleet of specially licensed fishing vessels lined up in formation and sailed toward the open sea, officially launching this year’s fishing season.

Shi Pu fishing boats set sail. All images in this article were taken by Chen Shanjun

Early this morning, Shipu Port was busier than usual. On the docks, some boats were loading ice, others were organising fishing nets, and still others were carrying large boxes of food. Crew members were working hard to prepare both fishing gear and daily necessities for the voyage.

At 11:30 a.m., reporters arrived at Tongwamen Bridge — the mandatory passage for fishing boats heading out — and saw the sea beneath already crowded with vessels ready to depart.

As the clock struck noon, the boats set off toward the open sea in an orderly procession, accompanied by the sound of firecrackers and horns. The official start of this year’s fishing season drew many residents to watch; people gathered on the docks and along the bridge, taking photos and enjoying the festive atmosphere.

Before the boats departed, reporters interviewed several fishermen and boat captains.

The fishing boat sets sail.

"After more than half a year of rest, we can finally head out to sea and fish again. It feels great to be earning money once more!" said Master Li, the chief engineer of a fishing vessel. He described his current mood as "eager and excited." "The first catch of the season always fetches a high price, so we’ll try to haul in a quick batch and get it to market. People will probably be able to enjoy our fresh seafood as soon as tomorrow or the day after."

“We mainly catch hairtail,” said Captain Niu, who commands one of the boats. “It takes just an hour or two to reach the fishing grounds. Once we start today, we could have our first batch back by tonight.” Although there were some waves at sea that day, his boat is over 30 meters long and built to handle rough waters, so they were cleared to depart.

Captain Niu had been preparing for this trip for over half a month. “We had to get diesel, nets, and a lot of other things ready,” he said. “There’s been plenty of work—now we just hope for a good haul.”

Not all boats left the port today. The vessel that Master Huang works on stayed docked due to the rougher sea conditions. Their boat is smaller and less capable of withstanding heavy waves, so for safety reasons, the fisheries department instructed them to delay departure. “Safety comes first—we follow the directives of the authorities,” said Huang, a Hubei native who has worked as a fisherman in Shipu for over 20 years. “Even though we’re not setting out just yet, everything is being prepared in an orderly way. We're still doing the final supply checks. You know what they say—sharpening the axe won’t delay the job of chopping wood.”

Make thorough preparations before going out to sea

A relevant official from the Ningbo Marine and Fisheries Law Enforcement Team explained that the specially licensed fishing vessels cover four categories: beam trawl shrimp boats, pot and trap boats, gillnetters, and light seine (or encircling net) vessels. However, due to rough sea conditions, not all of these licensed vessels set out to sea this time. The fisheries authorities had issued prior notices requiring some medium and small-sized boats with lower wind resistance, including double-beam trawl shrimp boats, to delay departure and carry out fishing activities according to the specific guidelines.

With the launch of this year’s first fishing operation, the season’s first fresh catch is expected to hit the market as early as tonight. Soon, the long-awaited local seafood delicacies known as “ng, huo, ha” will once again grace dinner tables across the city.

Source: Ningbo Daily

Reporter: Chen Shanjun 

Correspondent: Yu Di  

Editors: Ye Ke, Yuan Mutian (intern)