The Fishermen

Last night there was what the fisherman call a ‘running’ sea.  Big waves .. angry sea..

Today, at low tide 低潮 there were many fisherman at the low-water mark.  You can also call them anglers 钓鱼者.  Anglers use fishing rods.

Lots of anglers

The anglers ‘stretch away into the distance’ – ‘消失/disappear’.  They use sea-worms 蠕虫and mussel 蚌  as bait 饵

Of course, the tide ‘comes in’ twice a day.  That’s why anglers go fishing at low tide – as the tide ‘creeps in’ 进来 – slowly advances towards the land, the anglers keep moving back.  The fish are coming in with the advancing tide, to look for food on the rocks and sand.

Anglers 'lining the shore' - at the low water mark

More anglers.  The fishing rods they use are quite expensive becuase they are ‘hardy’ – 强 强硬-  to stand up to 顶住 a lot of ‘wear and tear’  in rough seas.  A fishing rod that you use in a river or lake is no good for fishing in the sea … it  ‘would not last long’

忍受- 易碎.

The rising tide-incoming sea covers the rocks and sand.  As it comes in, the fish (hopefully) come in with the rising water .

The rockpools are ‘teeming’ with marine life. There are numerous small crabs and shellfish.

Whelks

This type of shellfish is called a ‘whelk’.  It is similar to a snail 蜗牛 that you may see in a garden, but of course the whelk is a marine -sea- creature.

 

They are numerous in rockpools, where they stick/adhere to the sides of rocks.  They are edible 食用, but not many people bother collecting them

These are sea-snails. 

They are inedible -people cannot eat them, though of course other marine animals can eat them (if they can get the ‘shell’ off).  Birds will eat them too .. sometimes you may see a bird with a snail or whelk in its beak 鸟嘴 and ‘tap’  (hit) the shell against a rock until it breaks.

 Two crows 乌鸦 wheeling (flying in circles) overhead. 

These birds aren’t stupid .. they know that if they pick up shellfish such as whelks or snails and then drop them from a ‘great height’ the shell will shatter 打碎 … and then they can eat what is inside…