South China Sea

4 Jun 2009

Posted by decem under Fishing , Sports & Outdoor.

In the sixteenth century Portuguese sailors called it the China Sea (Mar da China). Later needs to differentiate it from nearby bodies of water led to calling it the South China Sea. The South China Sea opened after around 45 million years ago when the so-called Dangerous Grounds were rifted away from southern China. Within the sea, there are over 200 identified islands and reefs, as it truly seemed like a paradise for all fishermen.

Ah Jiang’s charter, with two helpers, they will usher us to a air-conditional cabin where there are sleeping planks, pillows and blankets for us individually. With beers and nuts, we merged through the border from 3,500,000 km² while enshrouded by its organized welfare.

South China Sea has its unusual monsoon weather patterns of reversing summer and winter rains and winds. The northeast monsoon between December and February and the southwest monsoon between June and August change the surface water circulation pattern with predictable regularity.

The resources of the South China Sea, living and non-living, are rapidly being exploited by the people of the region, who are heavily concentrated along the coastline. Overfishing or a declining average annual fish catch now threatens the extensive fishing industry. Many fishermen are forced to resort to more efficient and aggressive techniques, and to venture further out to new fishing grounds. Some desperate ones use illegal methods such as blast fishing and cyanide poisoning. Fish and coral habitats are also degraded by increased sedimentation, especially from land development. Coral reefs have been ravaged to provide building materials and plundered for ornamental commodities.

Remembering i saw a dolphin on the surface of the open sea. For the first time at such close distance to me, i couldn’t have enough time to capture it with my camera and so i stood there indistinctly watching it slowly dived apart from my vision. A few minutes later at about 10 meters away it splashed up from the water and dance above the waves for 2 secs . For several times we were all entertained by its performance. Man, beauty.

A 19kg marbled ray-(Taeniura meyeni) was the biggest catch. Red snapper-(Lutjanus campechanus) is the kind we were hunting. The red snapper commonly inhabits waters from 30 to 200 ft (10 to 60 m), but can be caught as deep as 300 ft (100 m) or more on occasion. They stay relatively close to the bottom, and inhabit rocky bottom, ledges, ridges, and artificial reefs, including offshore oil rigs and shipwrecks. We were all over the surfaces of all these spots, and when one of us landed one, someone beside u will land another, and that goes on till the atmosphere is calm down. Common but exquisitely delightful, i had caught one about 2-3kg. Plus a few huge cobias.-(Rachycentron canadum)

After a 2 days and 2 nights of fishing and restlessness, i can finally understand the moral environmental and bodies of that continent. Not seeing all of it, i know that i will be back on that surface with a line hunting for more different and huge species.

Right now, i suddenly have got a plan. Reflecting on those days assailed me the urge and fondness of this fishing trip. So i am going back there pretty soon. And soon enough, i will be coming home with more understandings and pictures of the deep, and legendary South China Sea.