it's open season
in this chinese fishing village
[Music]
these people are swarming toward the
pier to get their hands on the freshest
catch of the day
on the eastern coast of china there is a
small village called beijiao
where people enjoy a plethora of
underwater delicacies
but only for a few months out of the
year
that's because fission is banned in
these waters from around may to august
which means every year in late summer
it's open season here
[Music]
these people are rushing to get the best
squid
shrimp eel and local fish
they are in a hurry not just to preserve
the freshness of the catch
but also because they only have an hour
before everything is sold out
there is not a moment to waste
it's a typical scene between august and
september
when the annual fishing van is lifted
and fishermen can go out to harvest
buyers and sellers speak to each other
in special jargon that only people in
the fishing trade can understand
[Applause]
competitive unpredictable and grinding
is how fisherman levi describes his life
lee only sleeps two hours a day in order
to keep pace
with this cutthroat industry
every morning he needs to be one of the
first boats to arrive at the market
if he wants the best prize for his catch
he's there by 7 am and for the next hour
it's non-stop mayhem
despite a tough routine lee works every
day
the only thing that might stop him is a
really bad storm
[Music]
lee's boat is the rustiest one in town
it has braved powerful waves and
unpredictable weather conditions
but he is so busy that he hasn't had
time to repaint it
to make his effort worthwhile lee needs
to catch over
a thousand pounds of squid every day
but some days he can't even catch a few
[Music]
power
there are many different types of
seafood in beijing
these crew specializes in a small squid
known locally
as little tubes they sail for four hours
every day
to catch squid lee's boat shines green
fluorescent lights
into the sea the light attracts the
squid
which are then holed up by a huge net
the light also makes it easier to spot
the squid
which light up like stars in the water
while the crew is at work lee prepares
their meal
in a tiny kitchen below the deck just a
single dish of rice
vegetables and some of the freshly
coated squid
are enough to satisfy lee and his hungry
crew
it starts to rain but lee carries on
with the work at hand
he's already anticipating the next day's
catch
[Music]
you