Chapter 15

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 15

Karlos let the net sink into the sea before pulling it back in. He grunted with effort as he realized how heavy it was. As the net slowly reached the surface, the fish kicked and flipped with frantic energy, making it harder for Karlos to haul it in. It took him around 20 minutes to fully retrieve the net, his arms aching and sweat dripping from his face.

He exhaled sharply through his nose and grinned with satisfaction as the mullet jumped into the boat, the net draped over them like a mass of wriggling silver.

With that single throw, Karlos had likely caught at least 10 kilograms of mullet. A solid catch by any fisherman’s standards.

He looked out at the endless stretch of sea and felt a slight pang of disappointment when he realized the school of fish was already gone. Half an hour was enough for a school to move to a different location entirely.

The seabirds that had been circling above earlier were also nowhere in sight. He scanned the wide sky but couldn’t track where they had gone.

With no container available, he had to place the mullet directly on the boat. He would sort and transfer them into baskets once he reached the docking station for smaller boats.

The sun was now at an angle, casting golden rays across the water. Based on its position, Karlos estimated the time to be around 7 a.m.

The boat continued moving at a steady and reliable pace. Unlike earlier, when he’d found the school of mullet, this part of the journey was uneventful and direct with no stops along the way.

While steering the handle and occasionally glancing at the waves, Karlos remembered what had happened about two weeks ago. His engine had stopped in the middle of the sea, a nightmare for any lone fisherman.

Luckily, it had been a bright day with no storms on the horizon, and the waves were manageable enough not to capsize his boat. He’d had to paddle all the way back to shore, leaving his muscles sore and his back aching for days. The memory still lingered in his mind. Repairing the engine had cost him money.

Hopefully, this time the engine would hold up and not fail him again. The engine’s chugging served as both his background music and rhythmic companion all the way to the fish port.

Their fish port had wide docking stations made of sturdy concrete, large enough to accommodate dozens of big fishing vessels without congestion or collisions.

However, Karlos needed to travel a bit farther along the coastline to reach the docking station designated for smaller boats like his modest bangka.

By the time he reached the fish port, it was around 7:30 a.m. though he wasn’t completely sure. He was only making a rough guess, as he didn’t have a watch to confirm the time. Modern waterproof watches were expensive, far beyond his budget.

Once he docked, he stepped out of the boat and landed on the concrete with a light thud.

Nearby, he spotted a basket made of thinly sliced bamboo lying unattended. Baskets like that were often left at the docking station, and if unclaimed overnight, anyone could use them. This one looked fine and clean, though it was missing a handle, which made it slightly harder to carry.

Still, since no one claimed it, Karlos took it without guilt and brought it back to the boat to sort the mullet he had caught.

“Hey Karlos, looks like your boat’s working again. What did you catch this time?” a familiar voice called from the side.

Andres, Karlos’ friend, approached the boat and raised an eyebrow at the catch.

“You’re doing great. You even caught a lot of banak,” he said with a low whistle.

“Yeah, I got lucky and found a school of banak on the way back,” Karlos replied, scratching his head.

Mullet, called banak in their region, was considered a good catch both for eating and selling. These fish were often found in brackish water, coastal areas, and running rivers.

“Do you need help?” Andres offered.

“If it’s free.” Karlos grinned mischievously.

“Do I look like someone who charges a friend?” Andres snorted.

“Then thanks for your help.” Karlos nodded gratefully.

The two carried the catch with practiced teamwork. Karlos hauled the basket of mullet and a container of tiger prawns in each hand, while Andres carefully carried a styrofoam box filled with crabs.

Karlos struggled a bit with the bamboo basket since the missing handle caused it to tilt awkwardly with every step.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to walk far. Soon, they reached their usual selling area, where several buyers were already waiting under the entrance of the fish port, sheltering from the morning sun.

There, they spotted Joseph, Karlos’ brother-in-law, already standing in place. He was planning to buy another batch of seafood to sell inland, where fresh seafood fetched higher prices.

“Karlos, seems like you’re doing great,” Joseph greeted him after stepping on a cigarette butt he had just finished.

Karlos nodded in acknowledgment and gave a small smile.

“What do you have here? Let’s see... Alimango (crabs), Sugpo (prawns), and Banak (mullet). Karlos, you’re really a lucky guy. Most trappers catch only a few kilos of crabs and maybe a handful of prawns. But you? You just filled this whole box and container. And you even got a dozen kilos of mullet.”

Joseph was clearly impressed. In their region, someone who consistently hauled in abundant catch was often called Blessed by the Sea, as if the ocean itself favored them.

“You’re interested in buying?” Karlos asked, wiping the sweat from his face.

“Of course. Let’s weigh them.”

They started with the crabs, placing them in a plastic basket to drain the water. Joseph had brought his own weighing scale, a standard practice to avoid being scammed.

Some fishermen used rigged scales to charge more, so Joseph always carried his own to ensure fairness.

As for Karlos, he trusted his buyers not to scam him. After all, this whole industry was built on trust, a fragile but vital currency.

Joseph knelt and inspected the crabs, nodding in approval. All were alive except for three that were limp and motionless.

“Let’s set these three aside for Maya and the kids. Don’t worry, I’ll buy them myself,” Joseph offered kindly.

“Huh? Joseph, what are you talking about? Those three crabs are for them anyway. You don’t have to pay me,” Karlos insisted, frowning slightly. It didn’t sit well with him to accept payment for something meant for family.

“If you say so.” Joseph chuckled and raised both hands in surrender.

They placed the three dead crabs in a separate styrofoam box, away from the live ones. The crabs had still been moving just hours ago but likely died after being crushed under the heavier pile.

Next came the prawns. Joseph carefully inspected the container.

The tiger prawns were also drained in the plastic basket before weighing, to get a more accurate reading.

Unlike the crabs, most of the prawns were already dead, though a few still twitched or jumped weakly. After checking their freshness, Joseph decided to buy all of them. Most buyers didn’t mind if prawns were dead, as long as they were freshly caught and hadn’t spoiled.

Yes, consumer expectations varied depending on the seafood. People were fine with dead fresh prawns, plain and simple. But with crabs, it was different. Buyers preferred live, moving crabs to guarantee freshness. Of course, they still bought dead crabs if they were stored properly in ice. But dead crabs spoiled faster and were smellier if not handled right, which made people hesitant.

As for the mullet, even though they’d been drained, they were still placed in the plastic basket before weighing for consistency. The basket’s weight had already been calibrated into the weighing scale to ensure fair measurement, which was why it was used every time.

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[Illustration of Bangka]