Hooked on a feeling
The lake is covered with a misty blanket and the glassy water surface is barely awakened by the small rowing boats. A few water birds chirp and flutter from the surface to the sky, which is turning bright red in the east.
A giant fish leaps out of the waters as a fisherman draws the net in West Lake of Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. Fish signifies abundance and is a must at Spring Festival reunion dinners especially in China's eastern provinces. |
In eyes of young fisherman Che Xingrong, there is no better moment in life than watching the rising sun and discovering the treasures that lie beneath the water.
"If there are plenty of fish in one area, some of them move to the water surface and the rising sun shines on their tails. They give us a signal which ordinary people will miss," he explained.
In 10 minutes, the nets were cast. The six boats then stayed in a line about 50 meters apart.
Next came the exciting game called "ganyu" (driving fish together). Some fishermen hit the water hard with their paddles, making splashing noises; others stabbed the surface with a special instrument named "xiangcha" (a long bamboo pole with two slices of iron at the end). The loud noises drive the fish into the nets. The men start to haul in the nets. Upon each sizable catch, the lucky fisherman cries out in joy and others echo his call and share the pleasure.
Fish is in great demand before the Spring Festival, not just because winter fish is more popular but also because fish (yu) reads the same as "surplus" and means good luck.
Dong Zhixing, head of the Hangzhou West Lake Fishing Team, was setting out for another busy day. In 1999 he signed a fishing contract for West Lake of Hangzhou, in East China's Zhejiang Province.
Dong, 51, and his 11-man team have come from Shaoxing. Although only 50 kilometers away from Hangzhou, the ancient city has its own distinctive dialect, folk opera and cuisine.
The team works an area of about four square kilometers on the lake, which can produce some 150,000 to 250,000 kilograms of fish every year.
Besides taking from the lake, the fisherman also release 50,000 kilograms of smaller fish into the lake, in an effort to sustain their livelihood. The small fish take two to three years to grow and continue.
A whopper, weighing in at 52 kilograms, brings ready smiles to the faces of these fishermen. |
Many Chinese believe the taste of wild fish is much better than that of a cultivated one, and a fresh catch is very popular with local people, as well as local restaurants and hotels.
After enjoying a rice and fish breakfast, the team talks tactics and decides on which part of the lake to hunt for their quarry.
"Everyday we change the fishing area in order to catch more," Dong said.
Two fishermen team up in 6-meter-long wooden boats and while one rows while sitting on the stern, the other throws and draws nets off the bow. Nets vary in size, however the largest nets are more than 1 kilometer long.
All the rowers put their feet on a fixed paddle to paddle the boat, as if pedaling a bicycle.
This is one of the main characteristics of the Shaoxing fisherman, Che Xingrong, the youngest fisherman in the team, explained with pride.
"As people soon get tired of rowing by hand, this is a good idea to set our hands free to do other things, steering a boat for instance," he added.
Che said winter was the best time to go fishing, especially when a cold front arrives in the city because fish usually stay together in cold water. In summer, fish swim apart and it makes it harder for the fishermen to catch.
However, the unbearable cold in winter is a daunting challenge. "Sometimes I feel my feet frozen stiff after being splashed by water all day. The life of a fisherman is tough," Che sighed.
It requires intelligence and experience to net the fish and the cold waters of winter add to the challenge. |
The team sets out for Huxinting, the oldest among the three man-made inlets in the lake. The fish is immediately stored in a small cabin filled with fresh water. All fish less than 1.5 kilograms were set free.
"I like fishing even though it is a tough job," Che said. "It is more like a game, which requires your intelligence and experience to play with fish hidden in the water. You will never know what you will catch next."
Like all fisherman Che enjoys recalling his most memorable days and once caught a huge grass carp in a big string net.
He said the powerful fish was determined to be free. "I decided not to fight the fish but let it struggle until it was totally worn out," he said. "When the bamboo-handle of the net surfaced again, I quickly grabbed it and threw the net and fish into the cabin.
"That fish weighed more than 35 kilograms. It is the biggest one I have caught."
Local residents flock to buy the fresh catch. |
About lunch-time the crew finish and return to base, where a few local people were already waiting to buy their catch.
If not going fishing in the afternoon, they would mend their nets. There is no social life at night except for playing cards. They go to bed at 7 pm to ensure an early start and during summer begin work at 2 am.
Dong said the lake's water quality had significantly improved over the past four years, due to a mud-clearance project and the introduction of fresh water from the nearby Qiantang River.
"I wish more people will buy wild fish. Truly, it is good for health," said Dong. He said a pond-raised crucian fish grows to 0.5 kilogram within a year due to fertilizers, while a wild one only puts on 0.1 kilogram of weight every year.
(China Daily 02/13/2007 page19)
