He easily pulled the massive bluefin tuna from the water, then followed the same process as before.
He hit it with a stick, removed the tail, bled it, and placed it in the fridge. Everything was done with perfect order.
The only difference was that this fish was actually larger than the yellowfin tuna Jiang Hai had caught earlier.
It was still two meters long, requiring it to be hung slightly higher than Jiang Hai, but it weighed 200 kilograms.
It was an enormous fish. According to Miss Kevin, this bluefin would sell for at least 30,000 US dollars.
If it were sent directly to the island nation, it might fetch over 50,000 dollars, but here, 30,000 was the limit.
Jiang Hai wasn't interested in going to the island nation just for an extra 20,000 dollars; the trip wouldn't make up for the cost.
But it became clear that bluefin tuna was incredibly rare. After catching this massive one, Jiang Hai didn't catch another bluefin. He didn't even see a fry larger than one meter long.
Though his beef remained as popular as ever, his third catch was another yellowfin tuna, and it was also sizable.
The fourth catch was a bull shark. Unfortunately, bull sharks are a protected species in the Caribbean, and it's illegal to consume them, so Jiang Hai released the fish, believing that saving a fish's life was more valuable than building a seven-story pagoda.
The fifth catch was an Atlantic swordfish, more than two meters long. It's rare to see this type of fish here.
Jiang Hai remembered catching one in the past and selling it alive for 100,000 US dollars.
Unfortunately, back then, he had access to fishing boats, but now, with only a yacht, there was no way to keep the fish alive.
It had to be killed, bled, and frozen, but it was still a win.
After catching the fifth fish, Jiang Hai cast his line again, as the storage space he had prepared was full.
They then had lunch at sea, Caribbean-style.
Kevin and her friends cooked the meal. According to them, they wanted to take him out for fun, and the key point was that Jiang Hai had promised the fish belonged to them. This made them very excited, so they took the initiative to catch a few barracudas and prepared a Caribbean-style meal. In fact, it was still simple cooking.
For Jiang Hai, this was the first time eating barracuda, and he had to admit that the taste was quite good.
The meat of the fish was similar to the garlic meat often mentioned in China, but it had a distinct texture.
It tasted great, and the best part was how tender it was. After lunch, Jiang Hai and his friends relaxed on the deck, basking in the sun and chatting. Then, they prepared to head back. It would take about three hours to drive back to the dock where Jiang Hai had originally set out. It was still early, but they had to sell the fish first, and the place to do that was another dock.
Under Kevin's guidance, Jiang Hai steered the boat toward the other dock.
After more than two hours of sailing, they reached the coastal dock. Compared to the small town dock where Jiang Hai had parked, this place was much larger. It had many tall buildings and good landscaping. The dock was filled with large fishing boats and some small yachts, though compared to Jiang Hai's yacht, the others were inferior.
"This is Aguadilla, the largest city here. It's also a great tourist destination," Kevin said, looking at the impressive dock in front of them. Hearing the envy in her voice, Jiang Hai smiled.
She was still young, and sometimes, people think that the more prosperous a place is, the better it must be. At least, that's what Jiang Hai thought.
As Jiang Hai's boat entered the port, many fishermen on the fishing boats looked at it curiously.
However, compared to the surprise at the small-town dock, the people here were much more reserved.
Although Puerto Rico's economy isn't strong, and despite the lack of fresh water and relatively low wealth, this place attracts those who love to travel but don't have much money or wish to immigrate with limited funds. In many Puerto Rican cities, you can find small millionaires with a net worth of around one million dollars.
While one million is a lot of money in the U.S., it doesn't provide much more than a comfortable life as a white-collar worker. However, in Puerto Rico, one million is considered quite rich. With American citizenship, people can buy houses and land here, and the local government doesn't dare trouble them. For them, one million dollars goes a long way. It's also worth noting that many people come here for the low prices, especially when things like sex only cost about 20 to 30 dollars per encounter, never exceeding 100 dollars for a night. Of course, this was information Bell had uncovered, but Jiang Hai wasn't interested in that.
The combination of low prices, familiarity, and a sense of superiority made many Americans eager to visit. Aguadilla is also a popular tourist spot, which is why there are so many foreigners here.
When Jiang Hai and his friends reached the dock, they didn't stop there. Instead, they went straight to the fishing company.
This was Jiang Hai's first time at the fishing company, but the locals' stares made him feel out of place.
Normally, when a boat enters a fishing company, it means they've caught fish, which could compete with the local fishermen for business, but the people here didn't seem to care.
It made sense—there are plenty of fish in the sea, and Jiang Hai was on a yacht. How many could he catch?
However, when they saw the fish on Jiang Hai's boat, many people probably regretted their indifference.
Though it was Jiang Hai's first time at the fishing company, Kevin was a local. She led him directly to a Spanish-owned fishing company. Jiang Hai didn't know the name, but Kevin said it had the highest bids of all the companies around.
In the Caribbean, fishing companies were plentiful—fishing was a key industry.
When Jiang Hai's boat docked at the company, nearby boats stopped working and people watched with amused expressions. They thought Jiang Hai had made a mistake and was wasting his time here, eagerly waiting to see him fail.
However, when the fishing company dragged a large yellowfin tuna from Jiang Hai's boat, the mood shifted dramatically. Gasps and murmurs filled the air.
Jiang Hai smiled at their expressions. He enjoyed seeing their surprise—it was truly amusing!
"Wow, this is a good fish, grade A quality. I'll give you six dollars per kilogram. What do you think?" one of the company's workers asked as he eyed the scale.
Jiang Hai had done his research before coming here. Grade A yellowfin tuna usually sells for about four dollars per pound in the U.S. That translates to over eight dollars per kilogram, but here, it was only worth six dollars.
Kevin, whose fish this was, began calculating in her head. The fish weighed 130 kilograms. At six dollars per kilogram, that would be 780 dollars. It wasn't quite as much as she had hoped for, but it was still decent. She nodded in agreement.
"Alright, we'll go with that," she said.
The workers weighed it again, and it turned out to be 138 kilograms. As they prepared to finalize the deal, an elderly man walked over with a smile.
"I'll round it up to 140 kilograms. I see you still have more fish on your boat. Let me do you a favor, young man," the man said.
Jiang Hai and his friends were taken aback at first, but they didn't mind—after all, it meant more money for them.
"Hello, are you Americans?" the man asked, as Kevin went to count the cash.
Jiang Hai and his friends nodded. Based on the old man's accent, he was likely American as well.
"There are quite a few Americans here now," the old man continued. "It's tuna season. Let me see what else you've got."
Kevin returned with an envelope, clearly full of cash.
Puerto Rico was struggling financially, and most banks were closed. Only Citibank had a branch here, and Puerto Ricans were hesitant to trust it. People preferred cash to avoid taxes.
"Got the money?" Jiang Hai asked as he saw Kevin's happy expression.
"Yeah!" she replied, tucking the envelope carefully into her jeans pocket, clearly protective of the money.
"Well then, old man, come take a look at my other fish," Jiang Hai said with a grin as he gestured to Bell and the others on the boat.
When the old man saw Jiang Hai's larger yellowfin, his eyes lit up, but it was the third fish that really made the people nearby start murmuring.
The fourth Atlantic swordfish had them looking at Jiang Hai with envy, and when the bluefin tuna came down, the entire fishing company went silent, all eyes on Jiang Hai and his crew, their curiosity piqued.
To be continued...