"Do you know of any fun things happening recently?" Jiang Hai asked Robbins-Garcia and Edward Anderson, who were standing in front of him. While Jiang Hai himself wasn't American and didn't know much about the local scene, he figured it would be better to ask the locals.
After hanging up the phone with Selena Gomez, Jiang Hai found the two of them, who had just returned from work, and asked.
"In August, it seems like there are no festivals or anything exciting," Robbins-Garcia said after thinking for a moment. There was indeed nothing particularly fun to do, especially when Jiang Hai mentioned that there were no fun activities.
"Hey, Jiang, don't bother asking him. Cowboys don't have any festivals aside from the traditional American ones. If you want to know what's fun, you need to ask me," Edward Anderson said with a laugh, interrupting Robbins-Garcia.
"Oh? What's fun about being a sailor?" Upon hearing this, both Robbins-Garcia and Jiang Hai became intrigued.
"If we're talking about fun, there's one thing in August that stands out: fishing," Edward Anderson said seriously. But as soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Hai and Robbins-Garcia exchanged a skeptical look. Fishing? Fun? You're kidding, right? Since fishing is possible year-round, what makes this any different?
"The fishing I'm talking about isn't just any fishing; it's tuna fishing," Edward Anderson clarified with a smile, understanding the skeptical look on Jiang Hai's face.
"Tuna?" Jiang Hai was taken aback. While he was familiar with tuna, especially because there were many in his fishing grounds, he hadn't thought of it in this context. Recently, when he went out to sea a few days ago, he noticed an increase in the number of tuna in his waters.
Previously, his fishing grounds only had bluefin tuna, which were often chased by sharks. But recently, he had observed an increase in different types of tuna, including yellowfin, masu, and bigeye. Although their numbers hadn't reached a concerning level, Jiang Hai hadn't paid it much attention, figuring they were just valuable fish.
Now, when it came to tuna fishing, Jiang Hai couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"June and July are the spawning months for tuna. That's why in North America, tuna fishing is only allowed during August, September, October, and November. The rest of the year is for the fish to recuperate. Of course, I've heard that in places like Taiwan, island nations, and Korea, they fish year-round without concern for the tuna's extinction," Edward Anderson explained. He elaborated that, in North America, there's a strict fishing season for tuna, and fishing outside of these months isn't allowed. To fish during the allowed months, you must first obtain a fishing license.
"You can't just fish casually here; you need a fishing license. In the U.S. Constitution, casual fishing is prohibited, and the same applies in Canada. There are different types of licenses, such as for beginners, intermediates, advanced, river fishing, sea fishing, and more. The type of fish you're allowed to catch depends on your license."
"If you have a beginner's license and catch a higher-level fish, you must release it or risk being sued," he continued. "If you want to catch tuna, you need the highest-level 'rare economic fish sea fishing' license. To get that, you must have at least five years of sea fishing experience."
Jiang Hai didn't mind that requirement—he had five years of sea fishing experience, but no one else knew that. Money can solve a lot of problems, so getting the license in Winthrop would be simple for him.
The license is valid for four weeks, and if it expires, you must apply for a new one. But that wasn't an issue for Edward Anderson, who explained that, in the past, he'd spent months fishing for tuna. If he was lucky, the tuna he caught in just four months could earn him several years' worth of income. A small boat could make hundreds of thousands of dollars, provided you were lucky. However, tuna stocks had been dwindling due to increasing demand from island nations, and the days of catching a hundred tuna a day were long gone.
"Fishing for tuna? That sounds interesting. Let's go fishing in the Caribbean," Jiang Hai said excitedly after hearing Edward Anderson's explanation. But both Edward Anderson and Robbins-Garcia looked at him in confusion, as if to say, are you serious?
"Well, boss, it's better to fish for tuna, especially bluefin tuna, in the northern hemisphere. There are more tuna here than in the southern hemisphere. And the best part is, there are three major tuna fishing sites near us. Why go to South America?" Edward Anderson asked, still perplexed.
This was a well-known fact: the northern hemisphere had far more bluefin tuna than the southern hemisphere. Bluefin tuna is considered a semi-temperate species, so it's rarer in tropical waters. In the Atlantic Ocean, there are five main fishing spots for bluefin tuna: two in Europe—Las Palmas in Spain and Syracuse in Sicily—and three in North America: the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada, George Shoal (shared by Canada and the U.S.), and Cape Cod in Massachusetts, which was less than a hundred nautical miles away from Jiang Hai.
"Well, because Selena Gomez and I have planned a week-long trip, don't you think it would be fun to drive a yacht all the way south?" Jiang Hai responded, realizing that Edward Anderson's suggestion about fishing in the northern hemisphere didn't align with his plans. He wanted to go to the Caribbean to retrieve the treasure from a shipwreck, and the fishing was just an excuse.
Hearing this, Edward Anderson was momentarily speechless. He realized that Jiang Hai's true goal wasn't tuna fishing—it was to pick up girls. But since Jiang Hai was the boss, they couldn't say no, even if it seemed absurd.
"Fishing for tuna can bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in four months. Do you really need that money?" Edward Anderson asked, somewhat incredulously. In Jiang Hai's eyes, a few cows could easily fetch the same amount. To Americans, Jiang Hai was rich and carefree.
Since Jiang Hai had made up his mind, Edward Anderson knew there was nothing more to discuss. The whole manor was under Jiang Hai's control.
The best way to fish for tuna was with a small boat or a fishing vessel, both of which Jiang Hai owned. However, this time, Jiang Hai made it clear that his main goal was to enjoy the trip, so he planned to take his Zalaza LSX120 yacht. The boat also had a platform for a smaller boat, in case they needed to fish in a more convenient way.
With the personnel and route already set, it was clear that Jiang Hai couldn't take too many people with him. Edward Anderson and Robbins-Garcia were both busy, and the others who accompanied him last time were also occupied, as it was grape harvest season. Only five people from Jiang Hai's manor could join him: Darlene, Marian, Azarina, Bell Lester, and Harriman Fels. Though he hadn't planned to take the latter two, he decided to bring them along for safety reasons.