Missed Entry: Flying Fish Season

Flying fish. Sounds exotic! Yes it definitely does. It's a fish with a pair of big side fins that propels itself into the air, therefore crowed with the name of flying. Actually, I don't really know much about Flying fish, but it is as special to the locals as it is to me.

Flying fish season is between April and late May. It swims by Taiwan's eastern strait in the Pacific Ocean, along the infamous black current to migrate to different places. Think Finding Nemo when he joins the sea turtles on to the mysterious highway.

This part of the ocean is also one of the deepest in the world. The black current is also a very dangerous place to be, that is if your ship sank. The current is so strong that you can drift hundreds of kilometers in the matter of days, therefore it makes search and rescue very difficult. The local fishermen go out into the ocean in the late afternoon and return at around 9pm. This was when I went to the port to check them out.

As I got there, there are a few boats cleaning their nets. What they do is, they will pull the net in sequence and remove the Flying fish that is trapped in the net. A 200 count will be a great day for them. Sometimes, they catch swordfish, a bonus to them.

The port is dark, not packed with people, but it's a rather happening place. As the boats come in, friends and family gather to watch the fishermen harvest their catch from the nets. They chat and drink, probably the most precious family time of the day.

The Flying Fish season is over now, so no more grilled and smoked Flying Fish for me. However, when I look out into the ocean at night, I no longer see the spotted lights in the vast darkness, and I am glad that these guys aren't out there in the dark and dangerous ocean rocking on their tiny piece of floating plank.